Property tax rebate idea leaves longtime residents feeling jilted

When discussions first began about paying people $10,000 to come live in Quincy as part of former Mayor Kyle Moore’s 45 by 30 plan (which is now going to be lucky if it ends up 40 by 30), aldermen soundly shouted it down.

With Mayor Mike Troup in City Hall and Moore now running the Great River Economic Development Foundation, a slimmed down version of the plan passed the Quincy City Council this week. People can receive up to $5,000 in a one-time property tax rebate if you buy a home in Quincy. GREDF is involved by screening applicants and making sure they have a job in Quincy as part of the incentive. The city is setting aside $125,000 for the program, with talk of more if it works.

The Quincy Workforce Relocation Assistance Program is being called Q-WRAP by city officials.

It’s being called C-RAP by some residents.

Some of the chatter online, in coffee shops and elsewhere includes:

“I’ve lived here my entire life. Where’s my property tax cut?” Good point.

“I just moved here. Can I still get this?” Not sure a backdated rebate will fly.

“We’re giving tax breaks to rich doctors who don’t need it!” Well, many new doctors have quite a bit of student loan debt, which they may be still paying on after they leave Quincy for a bigger hospital after pocketing their $5,000 rebate.

“So I pay more to eat at Kelly’s to pay for this?” The ever-popular food and beverage tax is generating the revenue for this incentive program, so kinda, yeah.

Many people who already left Quincy/Adams County/Illinois did it for their own reasons. Many of these people were born here and have deep roots but still chose to head across the river to Free Missouri and gas that, while not free, is about 50 cents a gallon cheaper.

Do we expect a $5,000 carrot to keep someone here? Is there a set length time someone has to stay here?

And if someone already has a job in Quincy, but lives in Hancock County, then decides to move to Quincy, THEY STILL GET THE TAX REBATE.

From Monday’s Quincy City Council meeting:

TROUP: If someone’s currently employed in Quincy but lives outside of town or in Missouri, and they now buy a home, are they eligible?

CITY PLANNER CHUCK BEVELHEIMER: The answer is yes. They would be eligible because they’re moving to this market. You’re buying a home. So that achieves the element of increasing our population plus retaining that work person. It’s got to be tied to a job in the Quincy market. It can’t be just someone moving to Quincy because I want to move to Quincy. That doesn’t work.

How is that tied to increasing the workforce? THEY ALREADY HAVE THE JOB HERE.

We’ll soon see the promotions saying, “Look! We brought in all these new people,” but the devil will be in the details.

We know supporters will plant their flag regardless. If the city has a net gain of 25 families from this by 2030, city officials can claim success.

Just don’t confuse the white flag for the checkered flag.