Tuesday night’s Manhattan City commission meeting featured a projected date for the final construction of NBAF, and a confrontation with the Manhattan Living Wage Coalition as the 2011 Economic Report and Update was presented during a commission work session.
Assistant City Manager Lauren Palmer reported the Department of Homeland Security is projecting the facility to be finished by 2020.
The general outlook of the report was positive with only one of the private companies, Collegiate Marketing Services, defaulting on the program’s loans.
During public comment Manhattan Living Wage Coalition coordinator Geri Simon says the report is trying to spin things involving the half cent sales tax in a positive manner, and admonished commissioners be truthful about the program’s inability to create decent paying jobs.
Mayor Loren Pepperd rebutted the statement by pointing out the $12 an hour wage is in fact weighted on the new program applications.
In summary of the report City Manager Ron Fehr states for every $1 dollar invested in economic development incentives since 1995 approximately $7 was leveraged back into the private sector and other investments.
For more information and a copy of the report you can visit www.cityofmhk.com, or email Assistant City Manager Lauren Palmer at palmer@cityofmhk.com.
