Editorials: Settle, move on

We should take some measure of hopeful relief that the City of Storm Lake and Buena Vista County have started talking about a settlement of their lawsuit over distribution of tax increment financing. Public officials refuse to describe their discussions, as they have all along, because they think you cannot handle the facts. Their disregard for the public interest is evident — no open hearing or audit have been conducted, lawyers are paid sums about which we know next to nothing, and they battle on behind closed doors.

A judge will have to hold their feet to the fire to achieve a settlement and make it stick. That is what would serve the public interest. The county failed to distribute tax increment financing revenues accurately, and as a result the city was deprived of millions of dollars in needed revenue. When the county refused to make good, the city sued.

If this case goes to trial, the facts finally will emerge about incompetence all around, by city and county officials. We trust that the folks in charge understand. The whole truth and nothing but the truth will hurt a lot more than the county doling out a couple million, which is at least a couple million short of what is owed to the city, in the form of a settlement. There will be a few questions asked, and then everyone dusts themselves off and goes on in malpractice as normal. They should settle for their own sake. Plus, given the command that the city and county demonstrate over financial affairs, it remains an open question if anyone knows how to pay the lawyers. If this thing goes to trial, it will cost at least $1 million.

Settle. Don’t dig a deeper hole of absurdity, with citizens of Storm Lake suing themselves to claw back their own money. At some point they might wake up to the scam and vote out the scoundrels.

Not for now. County and city officials continue to play with our money as if it were Monopoly. The city council just learned that the county paid about $167,000 in TIF revenue to the city that was not deserved, so the money will be returned to the county. County Auditor Sue Lloyd said she will look into the discrepancy. Meanwhile, the city maintains that the county owes it $5 million in diverted TIF revenue. It’s confusing. Storm Lake is giving money away while losing track of the money it was owed. Good thing that the county is looking into it, even if they won’t report what they find.

The moral of the story: Our economic development schemes are too complicated for the schemers to understand. The courthouse can’t keep track of tax increment financing revenues, and neither can the city. The confusion and the litigation keep on. We should stay away from things we don’t understand. This is costing real money.

Farm bill needed

Cargill is laying off 8,000 people. John Deere is in the throes of shedding more than 3,000 workers. Tyson Foods announced that it will shut down its Emporia, Kan., plant amid losses. Times are tough in agriculture. Prices are down. Trade wars are simmering. Still, we don’t have a farm bill that is at least a year overdue.

It does not look like a new five-year farm bill will pass during the lame-duck session. We will have to wait some more. Republicans will control the agriculture committees and the White House, so the delays should be minimized. Still, regional conflicts remain and Republicans will not be able to simply steamroll nutrition programs with such a slim majority in the Senate. There is a lot of skepticism in the libertarian wing of the GOP over farm subsidies along with food stamps, so farm bill conferees should tread carefully if they want to protect crop price supports and insurance.

Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, along with Rep. Randy Feenstra, should lead the charge for a quick passage of a new farm bill in January. Agriculture needs a safety net, and producers need to know that the government will have their back as they take the risk of planting this spring. There is no time for fooling around with foolish arguments about child nutrition programs that have gone on way too long. We also need to be reasonable about supporting popular programs like the Conservation Reserve Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program. The House members made their point about food assistance and welfare, now it is time to move on to the serious business of compromise and crafting food-and-farm legislation that serves America.

Get it done. No more excuses for late homework.