Corporate welfare update and a reminder that City Hall regularly helps BILLION DOLLAR international companies with an obscene level of tax breaks . . . Read more:
Burns & McDonnell completes final office building at headquarters campus
PHOTO: The 142,000 square foot four-story office building completes the final phase of the campus build out. Photo courtesy Burns & McDonnell State and local elected officials joined Burns & McDonnell executives on June 16 to celebrate the opening of the final office building and parking garage at the company's 34-acre world headquarters campus on the southwest quadrant of Ward Parkway and Wornall Rd.
Burns and McDonnell had previously pledged to remain in South KC, and was never threatening to jump to Kansas or elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteThe HQ expansion project was actually financed by KCMO! (SWEETHEART DEAL!)
Blight designation granted for acquired property.
Exemption from regular KCMO 1% earnings tax for employees in new buildings.
Exemption from construction-related materials sales tax.
Millions worth of tax abatements, incentives, diversions, etc.
Real estate structured as a sub-lease with VanTrust Realty, so Burns and McDonnell pays no property tax on their own HQ expansion.
The vast majority (estimated 80% +) of Burns and McDonnell employees, and especially the executives, do not reside within KCMO.
How was this all possible?
Mayor Sylvester James exchanged his ethics and integrity for thousands of dollars in campaign donations, corporate perks, gifts, etc. James sold out the KCMO taxpayer and honest businesspeople by giving special favors to an already wealthy successful company. James then attempted to force through a rapid, previously unannounced, no-bid contract with Burns and McDonnell for an single-terminal airport worth over a billion dollars. City Manager Troy Schulte shirked his duties and responsibility to the City because he had been bought off with pay increases and a new contract. City Council was AWOL.
They contributed $50,000 to get the earnings tax renewed and then got an earnings tax waiver for the new building. WTF?
ReplyDeleteyes, it may have signs of crony capitalism that's not pretty.
ReplyDeleteon the other hand, b and m is a great asset for kansas city. the engineering and architectural firms are key to our economy.
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