Executive Tony Berns responds to various claims made by opponents of the urban renewal district in the Coeur d'Alene Press Online today:

• Claim: The city of Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai County are the only taxing entities affected.
• LCDC response: Actually, several taxing districts (city, county, NIC, highway districts) receive the taxes associated with the base property valuations when a district is established. The LCDC receives the taxes paid on the increase in property value (the increment) until the district is terminated.

• Claim: On the average, county property owners pay 7.5 percent more tax than they should and city property owners pay almost 20 percent more than they should due to the increased costs of infrastructure upkeep caused by LCDC improvements.
• LCDC response: We are unaware of where these percentages come from or how they were derived. The Idaho State Tax Commission states that the impact of urban renewal on the taxpayer is neutral.
• Much more here.

Thoughts?