TKC BREAKING NEWS!!! H&R BLOCK/J.E. DUNN TIF FIGHT SETTLED!!! KANSAS CITY MINORITY CONTRACTORS OFFERED MORE EMPTY PROMISES!!!
A special thanks to TKC TIPSTERS who left an important message for readers today regarding an ongoing fight between minority contractors, J.E. Dunn and H&R Block over TIF money and unfulfilled promises to Kansas City . . .
The TIF commission decided to accept the settlement offer that J.E. Dunn furnished . . . They promised more details in a few days.
Ron Yaffe, Chair, TIF Commission notes that the offer is basically that . . .
J.E. Dunn Will Increase MBE Participation Goals on East Village Project by $1.1 Million Dollars.
So . . . Basically big companies in KC don't have abide by TIF agreements AND minority contractors don't really have anybody who will listen to their complaints.
As for the extra MBE promises . . . It's kind of nonsensical given that nobody really enforces them anyway.
Thanks to AWESOME TKC TIPSTERS I've been reporting on this story for more than a year . . . Here are some of the most important milestones in TKC Coverage:
quit voting for taxes that are not tif exempt.
ReplyDeletequit voting for taxes that are not tif exempt.
ReplyDeleteHow long did this go on?
ReplyDeleteThis has been going on forever.
ReplyDeleteAgain I ask: Why should minorities or women or ANYONE get preferential treatment when it comes to bidding on these projects?
ReplyDeleteA bid is a bid no matter who submits it. It should come down solely to price and the ability to perform the work.
RACE should not be a factor.
The good ol'"WHITE" boys club always wins!
ReplyDeleteThis deal is revolting. Whether minority contractor set-a-asides are a good idea or not, they are the law of the land and are part of why the developers get public assistance. To let H&R Block and Dunn walk away from their malfeasance and obvious and most likely intentional flaunting of the rules and the law is a disgrace.
ReplyDeleteInafunk -- The problem is that there's absolutely no evidence that H&R Block did anything wrong. None of the documents or findings point the finger at them.
ReplyDeletethat's very generous. H&R Block was in cahoots with J.E. Dunn who openly used a front company in order to meet MBE requirements.
ReplyDeleteThey broke the law and they won.
I believe JE Dunn met the MBE/WBE goals for the project even when excluding the controversial agreement made with the electrical contractor.
ReplyDeleteIt would make more sense to encourage companies to hire minorities, if that is your goal, than it does to give contracts to businesses owned by rich minority owners that may or may not employ any other minorities workers!!
Ah yes, a found a little enlightening truth about the project goals...
ReplyDeleteA KC Business Journal reports the MBE/WBE goals for the project were 15%.
The KCBJ article goes on to quote a city report, "Even without counting the Rodriguez Electric contract, the report added, Dunn was able to achieve overall MBE and WBE participation of 19.4 percent on the Block project, a level the contractor 'should be commended for.'"
Source:
http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2009/05/11/daily28.html
Nice cherry picking, from the same article:
ReplyDelete"The report further alleged that “the practice of substituting a minority firm for a majority firm to garner (minority- and women-owned business enterprise) participation was not an isolated incident” on the Block project."
For an ex-Marine, Rodriguez sucks a lot of white mans dick to get his millions.
ReplyDeleteRead the report that the Business Journal referenced (Tony has posted it). It doesn't doesn't say that H&R Block did anything wrong.
ReplyDeleteThe real story here is the City's incompetence.
What really happened here is that JE Dunn and H&R Block raped the city. Those who "stooped to concur" are; Ron Yaffee and all the other TIF Board Members; the TIF Attorneys Herb Hardwick and Wesley Fields; City Manager Wayne Cauthen and his stooge, Phillip Yelder; and of course the Dirty Dozen on the Council and their Castrated Leader. Look up the word "Oligarchy". A question for Terry Dunn. Did any of them leave teeth marks on your member? A question for Henry Bloch. So your being discriminated against in the 1990's by the Kansas City Country Club didn't teach you anything about racial injustice?
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be something if the Dunn family were members of the anti-semetic Kansas City Country Club that tried to keep Henry Bloch out? And now the Dunn's are using the H&R Block Project to capture unearned TIF payments. Interesting thought.
ReplyDelete