Deena Winter: Homebuilder thinks stimulus would work
Lincoln’s largest homebuilder thinks the mayor’s housing stimulus program just might work.
Duane Hartman, president of Hartland Homes, said if the city were to persuade 200 people to buy new homes with $3,000 grants, by his estimates the city eventually would reap $1.4 million in return.
He recently wrote to city officials in support of the mayor’s idea, which is on shaky ground with the City Council.
Earlier this year, Hartman called the local home building market among the worst he’s seen, and laid off employees for the first time in his 23-year history here.
He told the council his sales revenue dropped by $14 million from 2004 to 2007 — and said that ripples through Lincoln’s economy, reducing sales and property tax revenue, building permits, impact fees and so on.
He doesn’t believe Lincoln is overbuilt, but thinks housing woes in other parts of the country have hurt consumer confidence here and caused “pent-up demand for housing” here.
He thinks the mayor’s stimulus — grants of $1,000 or more to people who buy new homes — would help push some people to buy, particularly homes under $200,000.
“It could help change the mindset of others because the activity creates an atmosphere of ‘Now is a good time to buy,’ ” Hartman wrote.
However, he thinks the grants would have to be about $3,000 to push people over the edge and buy homes.
“I think $3,000 would definitely make some people go,” he told the Journal Star.
The City Council has been lukewarm to the concept, however, suggesting it’s interested in some kind of economic shot in the arm, but perhaps not Mayor Chris Beutler’s exact plan.
Looking for1929 issue of National Republic?
Lincoln’s libraries are selling a whole pile of magazines this summer.
Decades’ worth of old, rarely used magazines are being sold. At the last sale, you could get your hands on a 1993 issue of Russian Life, or a 1985 edition of PETA News, or a 1968 issue of Psychology Today.
Yes, you missed out on buying every issue of the New York Times Magazine from 1960 through 1987 — someone snatched that up for $100.
Or every copy of Nipponia from 1997 to 2006 — which someone paid $5 for. (It’s a Japanese thing.)
The libraries sold off some magazines last month and earlier this month and have other sales scheduled for Aug. 11-15 and Sept. 15-19.
The next sale promises periodicals with titles from T to Z (very library-like).
Library Director Carol Connor said while it’s considered “sacrilege” among some to sell off such inventory, the libraries could make better use of the space the magazines take up.
Unlike an academic or research library, most public libraries don’t maintain archives for research purposes, Connor said. And these days, many people can get the information online, so the old magazines are used less often.
“Many of our library customers are interested in current, popular magazines,” she said. “The use of library materials tends to change over time and this is one example of it.”
The highest bid in the June sale proves that: issues of Mademoiselle from 1953 to 2001 fetched $375.
The magazines are available for inspection from 1 to 4 p.m. the week of the sale in the fourth floor conference room at Bennett Martin Public Library. Bids are accepted at all libraries, or by mail or via the library’s Web site. For more information, go to www.lincolnlibraries.org.
ITI due a rebate
Last week’s city budget news included a curious tidbit.
Beutler’s office mentioned that part of the $6.4 million economic development fund the mayor wants to create would be tapped to reimburse Information Technology Inc. $235,000 in impact fees.
The city charges impact fees on new construction to help offset the cost to provide city infrastructure, such as streets.
ITI, a homegrown banking software company in southwest Lincoln, will get a rebate thanks to an ordinance passed in late 2004.
The ordinance allows the city to refund arterial street impact fees if the project meets certain economic development criteria. A formula determines when they can get the rebate.
In order to qualify for such a rebate, the project must:
* Pay wages equal to at least 110 percent of the median wage in Lancaster County. Currently, that means jobs will have to pay about $33,300 annually.
* At least 50 percent of revenue must come from outside Lancaster County.
Mayoral aide discussed
The City Council is quite interested in one particular mayoral aide: Jon Carlson, who was hired this spring to help revitalize the city core.
In budget meetings, Councilman Ken Svoboda has questioned why Carlson is the only mayoral aide of four who is funded through the police department.
Svoboda said Tuesday he’s considering trying to move the position into the mayor’s office during budget votes and is seriously considering whether the position is “worth keeping” at all during a tight budget.
He’d rather use police dollars for police officers.
If the position stays in the budget, he said he’d prefer to at least see it funded by the mayor’s office — which, he notes, has never had so many aides to his knowledge.
And on Monday, Councilman John Spatz said he wants to look into the way Carlson’s position is funded. He said it’s his understanding that at one time, the plan was for the position to be partly funded by an outside agency.
He said he’s considering a proposal to change the funding for the position.
He said it
“We’re keeping our nose above the water, but I don’t want to drown.” — City Attorney John Hendry, former chief justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court, making his case before the City Council that his office is seriously understaffed.
Reach Deena Winter at 473-2642 or dwinter@journalstar.com.
Duane Hartman, president of Hartland Homes, said if the city were to persuade 200 people to buy new homes with $3,000 grants, by his estimates the city eventually would reap $1.4 million in return.
He recently wrote to city officials in support of the mayor’s idea, which is on shaky ground with the City Council.
Earlier this year, Hartman called the local home building market among the worst he’s seen, and laid off employees for the first time in his 23-year history here.
He told the council his sales revenue dropped by $14 million from 2004 to 2007 — and said that ripples through Lincoln’s economy, reducing sales and property tax revenue, building permits, impact fees and so on.
He doesn’t believe Lincoln is overbuilt, but thinks housing woes in other parts of the country have hurt consumer confidence here and caused “pent-up demand for housing” here.
He thinks the mayor’s stimulus — grants of $1,000 or more to people who buy new homes — would help push some people to buy, particularly homes under $200,000.
“It could help change the mindset of others because the activity creates an atmosphere of ‘Now is a good time to buy,’ ” Hartman wrote.
However, he thinks the grants would have to be about $3,000 to push people over the edge and buy homes.
“I think $3,000 would definitely make some people go,” he told the Journal Star.
The City Council has been lukewarm to the concept, however, suggesting it’s interested in some kind of economic shot in the arm, but perhaps not Mayor Chris Beutler’s exact plan.
Looking for1929 issue of National Republic?
Lincoln’s libraries are selling a whole pile of magazines this summer.
Decades’ worth of old, rarely used magazines are being sold. At the last sale, you could get your hands on a 1993 issue of Russian Life, or a 1985 edition of PETA News, or a 1968 issue of Psychology Today.
Yes, you missed out on buying every issue of the New York Times Magazine from 1960 through 1987 — someone snatched that up for $100.
Or every copy of Nipponia from 1997 to 2006 — which someone paid $5 for. (It’s a Japanese thing.)
The libraries sold off some magazines last month and earlier this month and have other sales scheduled for Aug. 11-15 and Sept. 15-19.
The next sale promises periodicals with titles from T to Z (very library-like).
Library Director Carol Connor said while it’s considered “sacrilege” among some to sell off such inventory, the libraries could make better use of the space the magazines take up.
Unlike an academic or research library, most public libraries don’t maintain archives for research purposes, Connor said. And these days, many people can get the information online, so the old magazines are used less often.
“Many of our library customers are interested in current, popular magazines,” she said. “The use of library materials tends to change over time and this is one example of it.”
The highest bid in the June sale proves that: issues of Mademoiselle from 1953 to 2001 fetched $375.
The magazines are available for inspection from 1 to 4 p.m. the week of the sale in the fourth floor conference room at Bennett Martin Public Library. Bids are accepted at all libraries, or by mail or via the library’s Web site. For more information, go to www.lincolnlibraries.org.
ITI due a rebate
Last week’s city budget news included a curious tidbit.
Beutler’s office mentioned that part of the $6.4 million economic development fund the mayor wants to create would be tapped to reimburse Information Technology Inc. $235,000 in impact fees.
The city charges impact fees on new construction to help offset the cost to provide city infrastructure, such as streets.
ITI, a homegrown banking software company in southwest Lincoln, will get a rebate thanks to an ordinance passed in late 2004.
The ordinance allows the city to refund arterial street impact fees if the project meets certain economic development criteria. A formula determines when they can get the rebate.
In order to qualify for such a rebate, the project must:
* Pay wages equal to at least 110 percent of the median wage in Lancaster County. Currently, that means jobs will have to pay about $33,300 annually.
* At least 50 percent of revenue must come from outside Lancaster County.
Mayoral aide discussed
The City Council is quite interested in one particular mayoral aide: Jon Carlson, who was hired this spring to help revitalize the city core.
In budget meetings, Councilman Ken Svoboda has questioned why Carlson is the only mayoral aide of four who is funded through the police department.
Svoboda said Tuesday he’s considering trying to move the position into the mayor’s office during budget votes and is seriously considering whether the position is “worth keeping” at all during a tight budget.
He’d rather use police dollars for police officers.
If the position stays in the budget, he said he’d prefer to at least see it funded by the mayor’s office — which, he notes, has never had so many aides to his knowledge.
And on Monday, Councilman John Spatz said he wants to look into the way Carlson’s position is funded. He said it’s his understanding that at one time, the plan was for the position to be partly funded by an outside agency.
He said he’s considering a proposal to change the funding for the position.
He said it
“We’re keeping our nose above the water, but I don’t want to drown.” — City Attorney John Hendry, former chief justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court, making his case before the City Council that his office is seriously understaffed.
Reach Deena Winter at 473-2642 or dwinter@journalstar.com.
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