No Casino Handout / Ninguna Limosna Para El Casino - Aurora, Illinois
Mayor Richard Irvin and the City Council of Aurora, Illinois
The Hollywood Casino (owned by Penn Gaming) plans to move out of downtown Aurora to the Premium Outlet mall near I-88. This might ordinarily be acceptable, however, the city wants to rubber stamp a sweetheart deal with the corporate casino that would give them a $50,000,000 municipal bond as well as city owned land. Furthermore, Penn is asking for Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to cover the $50,000,000 bond, meaning any tax dollars would not go to the public, but to pay for the initial development costs. What are we getting out of this? And why is this being approved rapidly and without public scrutiny?
Do you want to lend your hard earned tax payer dollars to a multi-billion dollar corporation? They already have $300,000,000 lined up for the deal. Why must they squeeze our city for a measly $50,000,000?
The City Council must vote no on this ordinance. If they wish to sign a $50,000,000 check in our name, there should be public involvement, buy-in, and sign-off, not a behind the scenes deal hastily signed before anyone can object.
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El Hollywood Casino (propiedad de Penn Gaming) tiene planes
de trasladarse fuera del centro de Aurora hasta el area cerca
de los Premium Outlets por la interestatal I-88.
Ordinariamente esta situación es aceptable excepto que la
ciudad de Aurora propone darle sello de aprobación a un trato
donde la empresa del casino recibirá por bono unos
$50,000,000 dólares además de propiedades que pertenecen
a la ciudad. Más aún, el casino desea la creación de un distrito
financiero (conocido como TIF) para financiar el bono de
$50,000,000. Un TIF es problemático porque dinero generado
en impuestos vía un TIF en lugar de regresar al poblado se
usara para cubrir el costo inicial de desarrollo del casino nuevo.
¿Cómo nos beneficiamos de esto? ¿Por qué se aprueba esto
rápidamente y sin investigación pública?
¿Desea usar sus impuestos ganados con esfuerzo para el
financiamiento de una empresa multibillonaria? Penn Gaming
publico que tiene planeado gastar más de $300,000,000 de
dólares hacia el nuevo proyecto, ¿por qué deben exprimir
nuestra ciudad por un mísero sumo de $50,000,000?
El consejo de la ciudad debe votar NO a esta ordenanza. Si el
consejo desea firmar un cheque de $50,000,00 a nombre del
poblado deberían de involucrarnos y no esconder tras las
escenas un acuerdo firmado apresuradamente y sin objeción.
Petition by
To:
Mayor Richard Irvin and the City Council of Aurora, Illinois
From:
[Your Name]
Esteemed representative,
Giving a massive, private company $50,000,000 in public money to build a new casino in our city is absurd. Dumping the risk of development on the public while privatizing the potential profit is unethical, unfair, and plain bad business. Penn Gaming can afford to finance this project another way or another company could.
This also ties up $50,000,000 on the city's balance sheet, meaning we cannot use the dollars elsewhere. What other projects are we leaving on the table?
Furthermore, the unbridled speed at which this deal is being signed is not in the public interest. Citizens should have the opportunity to learn more about the project, the TIF, the bond, etc. before agreeing to hand over $50,000,000 and millions of dollars worth of land.
I ask you to vote NO on the Ordinance Authorizing a Redevelopment Agreement for the Hollywood Casino Development in the City of Aurora, Illinois.
Sincerely,
Your neighbor and constituent