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Critics ask for a seat at the table in planning controversial tax break program

Helen Burns Sharp poses for a portrait on the top floor of a parking garage adjacent to the Chattanooga Choo Choo on Thursday, May 5, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Helen Burns Sharp poses for a portrait on the top floor of a parking garage adjacent to the Chattanooga Choo Choo on Thursday, May 5, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Helen Burns Sharp poses for a portrait on the top floor of a parking garage adjacent to the Chattanooga Choo Choo on Thursday, May 5, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

By Joy Lukachick Smith 4 min read

photo Eric Atkins, secretary of the Chattanooga Hamilton County NCAAP

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Fighting neighborhood blight› The City Council also approved a position for an officer who will crack down on neighborhood blight. The city added an amendment to review the program in six months after several council members expressed concerns that the idea wasn’t fully formed.Blue trees› The City Council also approved a joint grant from multiple foundations for an art project that includes painting trees blue around town as part of an education effort.

Hours before the City Council was set to vote with no prior public discussion on a tax incentive program that forgives developers for property taxes, the council deferred the vote for two weeks after public outcry.

Critics praised their elected officials for delaying the vote and then asked to meet with council members either publicly during their committee meeting or one on one to express their concerns with the revamped payment-in-lieu-of-taxes, or PILOT, program.

“We’ve been asking for transparency and accountability,” said Eric Atkins, secretary of the NAACP and a member of the watchdog group Accountability for Taxpayer Money. “We think this decision is a good start in that direction.”

A growing number of property owners and special interest groups who are concerned about tax incentives spent months calling for reform before Mayor Andy Berke announced in mid-July that he would make significant changes to the program, severing a formal agreement with River City Co. The program offers 10-year tax breaks to developers building rental property downtown who set aside a portion of their units at an affordable rate.