Testimony before The Rolla City Council against the proposed Enhanced Enterprise Zone (EEZ)

Ladies and gentlemen:

My name is Tom Sager. I live at 8 Laird Avenue in the City of Rolla.

Thank you for this opportunity to speak against the proposed Enhanced Enterprise Zone.

Blighting people's homes in the vain hope that it will foster economic development is nothing new to Rolla.

Seven years ago, Rolla declared 14 acres on the corner of Highways 63 and 72 blighted and created a TIF or Tax Increment Financing District, presumably in order to develop these 14 acres commercially. No development occurred. In fact, the development of the former Callen's Market was delayed for years because of the TIF. American Realty's negotiations to bring a Walgreens to Rolla were scuttled and eventually the City of Rolla shelled out $450,000 in infrastructure improvements in order to convince Walgreens to open a store at a different location in Rolla.

Blighting those 14 acres had a tremendous negative effect on home owners in the area. One elderly home owner asked nothing more than to be left alone with his wife to spend the last years of their lives in the home they had lived in for 40 years. This man fought the City; and died during the City's attempt to take his property. His wife was placed in a nursing home. It is uncertain to what degree the City's actions contributed to his death. Before his death, one city council member remarked callously that he should face reality: that he and his wife would have to go to a nursing home.

Having learned nothing from the failure of the TIF, the same people who created the TIF now want to blight the entire city of Rolla in order to create an EEZ or Enhanced Enterprise Zone. If the 14 acre TIF contributed to the death of one person, how many people can we expect to die over the blighting of the entire city?

These blighters say they will bring economic prosperity to Rolla; but let's look at their record. Under their leadership Rolla has lost two major industries. First, Briggs and Stratton; and now Cantex has decided to close shop and leave Rolla. No comparable industries have chosen to open in Rolla during this period. Why, indeed, would an industry wish to be located in a town where the fondest dream of the city leaders is to declare the entire town blighted.

Nothing good will come of this EEZ: only more hardship and stress.

I've lived in the Rolla area for 27 years. I love Rolla. I love the people who live here. Please, do not blight our homes; do not blight our city.

Thank you for this opportunity to speak against the proposed Enhanced Enterprise Zone.

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