7 May 2024 BoA Meeting The Aldermen approved moving forward with a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Bond for up to $5M to help a developer build a Hotel and Convention Center against the objections of many present at the meeting.
A TIF Bond should only be used when the development is of great importance to the city and can't be done without it. Neither of these two conditions are true
GCRF funds should be used to restore the Gulf Coast, not offset a developers costs
There has been no impact study related to traffic, street widening, stoplights, etc
The mayor is not being transparent. He said in the meeting that "this is not a bond" - it is a bond. He said "its not a done deal, this is just approving a firm to develop the plan" - this is not sincere, he fully expects to move forward on this. He said it was for "infrastructure such as sidewalks and sewer" - the public notice states the TIF can also be used to buy property and mitigate environmental hazards. The mayor has said in public that "the city would not be buying the property or be cleaning it up", yet they are willing to finance it
There is no need for a hotel and convention center in downtown Ocean Springs. The residents have not asked for this. This is the mayor pushing more tourism into downtown
This developer has a history of building franchise hotels, not paying the franchise fees, loosing the franchise but continuing to advertise it as that hotel while letting the quality deteriorate. This has led to numerous lawsuits against him. Read this article: South MS city promises millions to hotel developer with troubled history in Alabama