Since 1990, the St. Louis region’s crazy quilt of taxing authorities has dedicated more than $2 billion in public money to subsidize private “economic development” projects. And there’s almost nothing to show for it.
At best, the subsidies have created a…
Hundreds of millions of dollars in public money is pledged toward private economic development projects in the St. Louis region. But the public purposes of these projects, to say nothing of their costs and benefits, are poorly understood.
One basic problem: The…
St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann recently proposed that the East-West Gateway Council of Governments study whether local governments get their money’s worth when they give economic incentives to developers.
The council agreed, and as it happens, there’s a deal in the…
