In a perfect world, there would be no economic developers. In the world we live in today, they have become required. This being so, it turns into a matter of getting the most for your money.
It is ridiculous to think that the 4 employees of VEDC are going to make ... or break Victoria. VEDC serves as a clearinghouse for information about the area, to new people looking at us. I deal with small firms (5 to 20 employees) looking to move to town. These new people have questions and I call VEDC or refer people to them. My experience is that VEDC responds in a professional, friendly manner to assist these folks and makes them feel welcome. Victoria is getting its moneys worth from them. If one of these 4 people can not help you on the spot ... they always return phone calls. (That is rare today.)
Your local politicians set the tax abatement policy. VEDC has to live with what the politicians do, just like all of us have to live with what the politicians do. Good luck in getting anything changed with them.
When new people come to town the first thing, and the main thing they want is a handshake, a smile and a welcome ... it costs us nothing!

Let me remind everyone. Dupont didn't come here because we had a VEDC or an industrial park. Neither did carbide Formosa or any of the other industries. These companies looked for growth potential and low inital startup and stablized governmental operations. They would not have come here when members of the city government were being indicted and the city spends taxpayer dollars to defend city officals and employees on crimmial charges and all the attendant uproar. They want stability not promotion or wackey local government. Vedc has not brought in a dimes worth of return on the monies spent to keep it afloat

To anyone with personal property tax expertise. I have been feeling bad about an increase in the past ten yrsts of 30& on my personal property tax assessment. But I recently looked at a friend of mine whose home assessment increased 46% in the same ten years. Are these normal numbers for Victoria properties that have not had improvements?

Lol, sounds like someone forgot to turn off their bull malarkey setting. I would like to take this time to make a prayer, to the “all powerful VEDC”. We pray to the VEDC, because only they have the power of prosperity and apocalypse. Show mercy on us VEDC, for our sin of thinking for ourselves, for believing that Victorians have a right to manage their own future, and just for failing to serve your will.

VEDC will be done.

Now that is sarcasm, lol.

Lampost:Apparently your reading comprehension needs some work: WE DID NOT SEEK OR RECIEVE ASSISTANCE FROM VICTORIA CITY OR COUNTY.

Was that clear enough for you?

We had investigated "help" in other areas of the country in which we have facilities, and found the process wasteful burdensome and unproductive. In other words, typical government program.

Again, was that clear?

MattOcker says: "I find VEDC's claims as offensive as those made by the current White House administration."

Birds of a feather...

The masses will always sacrifice their economic liberties for the vacant promises of central economic planners. I guess Franklin's rule of thumb applies to economics as well -- Those who'll give up economic liberty for economic security deserve neither.

Big, I see you have stated one of the criteria for tax abatement but I'm not familiar with the other two things you listed. Were those, at some time, also criteria for tax abatement or were they for something else? If so, what, and which entity requested them?

MattOcker, Maybe you could enlighten us as to who these people are that are interconnected and exerting their undue influence. Maybe you could also offer up some proof to back up your claims.

Lampost,

As I stated we did not seek or recieve "assistance".

In prior explorations of "help", examples of such resrictions were guaranteed employment numbers, roll backs on property tax roll downs, and even the most offensive, the right to go into our books. Other "strings" were also a problem, but fail my memory at present.

Incentives were holding property values at pre-development levels for variable periods, extensions of such if certain "goals" were met, and possible considerations for future considerations for expansion, as examples.

In our case, we found a distressed property at the right price, and then had to fight the appraisal district to lower their valuation to what we had actually paid. And trust me, the difference was considerable.

From your question, it is obvious you aren't in the business world. If you are truely interested in the barriors to small business in the US, not just Victoria, i would invite you to stop in any small business during slow business hours and ask the proprietor what government does for, and to them.

Big,

can you give some examples of the strings that were attached to City and County Tax abatements or even money that they might have offered?

I work for a very successfull manufacturer with a Victoria location. At no time did we ask for help from the city, county, state, or federal government for help with the plant location here in early 2000's.

We didn't want their strings tying our hands related to control of our business.

THE SQUEAKY WHEEL GETS THE GREASE, BUT ALSO GETS RODE!

The government can make us work but they cannot create jobs, real jobs. We are currently in a recession caused by the government with a little help from Wall Street. I heard the "anointed one" proclaim that jobs was going to be his top priority - here's what he is going to do:

1. Wad up another 100 billion dollars of borrowed money and throw it out of helicopters in the hope it will create some jobs.

2. Give 30 billion dollars of borrowed money to some banks to make loans to small businesses. What tickles me about this is federal bank regulators are as we speak preventing banks from making loans to small businesses because they are too risky.

3. Raising taxes on businesses with cap and trade and repeal of the Bush tax cuts, particularly on dividends and capital gains.

4. Increased payroll taxes to pay for government programs.

5. Produce enormous deficits that will have to be paid with higher inflation and taxes.

6. Produce a mass of confusing "temporary" tax cuts, credits and subsidies making it difficult for investors and entrepreneurs to make business decisions.

7. Produce a staggering amount of general uncertainty with regard to massive new government programs, and "regulatory reform."

8. Increase the power of unions.

9. Increase the number of people dependent on the government.

10. "Green Energy."

Yeah, this sure sounds like someone who knows what he is doing.

No no no, the Advocate has this all wrong!
 
What we need to do is to end the VEDC, which has been a catalyst to years of economic success, so that we can offer the $10 or $20 a year per taxpayer savings back to the tax payers. We also need to end the Airport, so that we can add another $80 or $90 a year per taxpayer. This way we can save our taxpayers as much as $100 per year on their individual tax bill, while at the same time removing the business attractions of our community. That's more than $8 per month!
 
Now, we also need to stop all funding that is directed to marketing our community as a great place to locate business and return all that money to those visiting tax payers. That way, when businesses are trying to decide where to locate their next expansion project, they can completely skip over our community. I mean, come on! Everyone knows that the tax rate is the only thing a business looks at when planning any kind of new development.
 
Next on the list is tax abatements. Either get rid of them or make them level for everyone. When they are level, all 2000 people that decide to add a garage on to their property or make improvements to their home will get the same abatement as companies that spend millions of dollars and create jobs in our community. Talk about budget cuts!
 
While we're on the subject of budget cuts, let's go ahead and lock the budget in now. I mean, when we have stifled all this growth that the current oligarchy has planned, there will be no need to collect more than what the City and County have in their Budgets.
 
This next one might be too much for everyone to follow, but, try and keep up. Let's get rid of all the paved roads. Our founding fathers didn't need paved roads to travel on, why do we? Can you imagine the savings we could generate when we don't have to budget for pothole repair?
 
Woops, forgot to turn off the sarcasm!

Eagle Ford Shale; Tremendous economic opportunities that will soon be available to Victoria from its development. Please explain to me what you think it is going to bring to the Victoria area? The shale play is mainly going to be down in the areas of Laredo, Carrizo, and Dilly area. The shale play has been projected to last about 3-4 yrs for the drilling and production. Then the employment will drop off to independent pumps and some pipeline work. Everyone one thinks this shale play is going to be our savior and for some folks it will be. Most of the jobs will come out of Laredo, Carrizo and Jourdanton, and Kenedy. Victoria will see very little of employment out of this area, and as for the supply houses, they all are putting in office in Kenedy, Carrizo, Dilly and this I know for fact. Believe me I am not trying to knock this shale play at all as I depend on it a lot as I have a chemical company here in Victoria, and am looking at moving it out of Victoria to be more centrally located to service the area's and YES I will be hiring people out of those areas. And if I did not think the post would be yanked I would post my company contact info here for applications and resumes, but I know better.

At the risk of saying Eagle Ford like a mantra, I remind everyone of the tremendous economic opportunites that will soon be available to Victoria from it's development. The development of unconventional natural gas shale play in our area will be the single biggest economic engine driving our economy for the next 50 years. Unconventional drilling and production from shale is hi-tech and destined to be the proverbial game changer. This ain't yesterday's oil and gas boom.

There will be many opportunities for small business to participate in this boom. Instead of cursing the darkness, the Editorial Board and Mr. Fowler should be exploring how existing businesses and start-ups can get ready for this growth we will see from the oil and gas industry. All this talk about using VEDC sounds like Cinderella's Stepsisters trying in vain to make the slipper fit. Referring to the oil and gas industry as the weak sister in our economy is silly.

High Tech jobs. I think those would greatly help the Crossroads area!