02-05-2016, 02:04 PM
(02-04-2016, 12:41 PM)Viewfromthe42 Wrote: Considering the number of businesses which have closed up in the current Wildfire space, it's a bit rich to hear that they might close up because of ION.
Only two restaurants have closed in that space in the last few years. Ali Baba after a very long run and then Baton Rouge after a very short period that would suggest that something else happened at a higher corporate level (a "realignment of corporate priorities and target markets" might be how it is explained).
A larger question should be, how can the general infrastructure upgrade system be changed so it isn't onerous on a business to claim losses when an upgrade is carried out? For instance, the easiest way might be to defer the property tax on an affected area until after the construction is complete. There wouldn't be any need to prove lost sales since the property tax rate is independent of business activity. The deferral would be attached to the property as an incentive for the business owner to stick around once the project is finished. Staff (and contractors) would have the incentive that every construction delay would directly affect the Region (or City) bottomline. Just a thought.