Your Tax Dollars and the CCIA

The CCIA has been trying to sell the old bank on the corner of High and Main. Do you remember when just a few months ago the CCIA was going to sell the city this building for 2 million dollars? Mr. Pepitone thought it was a great idea and fought to make it happen. Luckily the citizens of Millville spoke up and the sale did not go through. Now, according to a Daily Journal article, the price is $500,000 for a new buyer. Remember at election time that Mr. Pepitone thinks a good deal for Millville is blindly paying 4x what a property is worth! 

The $500,000 sale is set up as a lease purchase. No taxes will be paid for the property to Millville. Instead the CCIA will pay in lieu of taxes only $625/month. The taxes would cost a citizen of Millville $1500/month! This is how the CCIA does business. 

The CCIA is building the Complete Care on the corner of High and Broad. This is a good project in the wrong place. Medical facilities are zoned to be near the old hospital which is where the project should be. The CCIA ignored the zoning laws and the project is now downtown at the gateway of Millville. Office spaces will be available for rent. Time will tell if this project will help or ruin the downtown. 

At the last commission meeting, there was a closed session regarding the CCIA purchasing Jim's lunch and the Chinese restaurant on the corner of High and Main. Team Santiago spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to shore up Jim's lunch due to the $2 million dollar demolition. 

The CCIA is planning to put a new police department on that corner. If the CCIA builds the project then the city will pay the CCIA back for the costs. The project is financed this way so it does not affect the city's debt ratio. This allows the city to spend more money than it should. This is a slippery slope. There are other sites that should be investigated and would serve the city and budget better. One example is Memorial Junior High. Once the new addition is done at the Senior High School, the students at Memorial will be moved there. Memorial Junior High is an option for the police station. There is plenty of room for the police and the courts. There are even facilities for PAL activities. Were the options considered? Does the city need the police station and court on an entrance to the town? 

The CCIA was hired by Team Santiago as the redevelopment firm for Millville. Based on their past actions the CCIA does not have the best interest of Millville at heart. Remember at election time that Cooper and Pepitone and Quinn have been long time supporters of the CCIA. This is not how Millville should be run.


 


Comments

Unknown said…
The City Needs To Fix These Streets Tearing Up People's Cars. The Police, ride down here everyday & plenty cars but nobody seems to think a lot of these streets are bad I live on Buck and pay taxes for a messed up street.I'm Bringing attention some people might be scared to speak up. I'm putting it out here so do something about it lived here 20yrs and nothing has been done.
August 5, 2021 at 3:16 PM
Millville Insider said…
Your point is well taken. There was money in the budget to fix several streets in the city when Team Santiago took office but for some reason it was not done. So all the present commissioners including Cooper and Pepitone are accountable for the streets being in disrepair. The city should not be run in a manner that the citizens are afraid to speak up when they have or see an issue. Everyone needs to vote in November to elect individuals that will listen and get the job done. Not individuals that will just say what you want to hear and then do nothing.
August 6, 2021 at 8:50 AM
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