All in favor of plunder and pillage? Say aye
On the newsy side of things: I read with interest the story in yesterday's Bee about the City of Clovis luring a Fresno medical company and its 80 employees to an industrial park in town. Bee reporter Marc Benjamin writes that the city has agreed to loan $150,000 to Sierra Pathology. The company, which is on East Dakota Avenue in Fresno, wants to build a 16,528-square-foot building on 2 acres in an industrial park north of Herndon Avenue and west of Clovis Avenue. From the story:
The loan will help Sierra Pathology pay for furniture, fixtures and equipment. The loan must be repaid over 10 years, but could be forgiven if the company meets employment and salary goals called for in the agreement.
Clovis Mayor Bob Whalen said Tuesday that he was glad the city could reach agreement with Sierra Pathology's owners. "These are unusual times and we need to respond in a way that is not just business as usual," he said.
Translation: So let's steal the company from Fresno!
Besides the amusing visual image of a boatload of Clovis buccaneers sailing over to East Dakota Avenue and pillaging a tax-paying business -- "Ahoy, maties, we'll agree to take prisoners if you embrace the Clovis Way of Life!" -- I have to say these kinds of stories bother me a lot. Especially when the business will be moving from the established urban core to what I assume is undeveloped land on the outskirts, thus contributing even more to our sprawl problem. If the company wants to move on its own, fine. But why the incentives? I know this stuff goes on all the time, with cities/counties/states using taxpayer money to poach businesses from each other, but that doesn't make it any better.
Comments:
Wasn't it just recently that the City of Clovis was in a tight spot and was cutting services? What happened that it is suddenly feasible to offer a $150,000 ten year loan? Smells fishy to me and sounds like a misuse of taxpayer money from my point of view.
Posted by: Kiel at January 15, 2009 3:58 PM
Between this story and Kathy's wi-fi post, it looks like Clovis is having the best week ever.
Posted by: Heather at January 15, 2009 4:03 PM
Likely there are pragmatists out there who say of this, "Hey, business is competition. That's the way of the world. Deal with it, Fresno." That, however, is coming from the old 'convert and conquest' model of doing business, religion, politics, etc. What if instead of competing AGAINST Fresno, Clovis got together WITH Fresno and together they helped each other. Ah . . . hear that? That's the sound of the pragmatists--no doubt bearing MBAs--laughing at me. Like the Modest Mouse song, "Missed The Boat" says: "And we laughed all the way to hell."
Posted by: Jerry at January 16, 2009 7:49 AM
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