Tax Increment Financing

City’s West Broadway Corridor master plan proposes removing bridge at same cost as original construction, creating pipeline of hole digging and filling projects

Jesse Ramos proposes returning TIF to its original purpose: addressing blight in areas with declining property values, not subsidizing districts with rising values

Tax increment financing request comes weeks after city adopted $2.5 million deficit budget

I used to have a respected position in this Missoula community describing what the various sub-populations of “the homeless” were like, and the different approaches needed to address the unique challenges they presented. I wonder, what would THAT Travis think of me now?

Hello, my name is Travis Mateer, a writer and tax-activist from Missoula, Montana, who in past incarnations online has written under the pseudonyms William Skink and lizard.   What am I doing here?   That’s a good question, and the answer is even better.  I’m here to do a weekly report UNIQUE to the audience…

Local artist and film producer Travis Mateer released his 3-hour documentary Engen’s Missoula late Wednesday night. “So happy to finally be able to share this, it’s been a long time in the making,” Mateer said in a tweet. The film covers specific points in the administration of Missoula’s 5-term Mayor, John Engen, including the redirection…

“As life-long Missoula locals, we consider this track a unique holiday “thank you” to the man, the myth, the legend, who transformed a thriving working class community here in the Garden City into the gentrified nightmare it is today.”

The Roxy Theater in Missoula cancelled a showing of a forthcoming documentary critical of Mayor John Engen’s 14-year administration titled Engen’s Missoula citing “overbooking.” Three days after signing a contract with the producer at the beginning of December, The Roxy Theater rental coordinator Christina Tripp notified the producer of the alleged overbooking, refunded the deposit,…

Yesterday, local writer, artist, and videographer Travis Mateer released a trailer for a forthcoming documentary about Missoula called “Engen’s Missoula.” The trailer features Ward 4 City Council member Jesse Ramos explaining how a tax scheme called “tax increment financing” skims off the top of property tax-payers yearly tax bill and redirects funds to the Missoula…