Slow, Secret Progress on LERTA

As is so often the case with council's voting meeting, they were all talked out from the Wednesday work session.

As a result Monday's meeting wasn't much more than 45 minutes and was marked a number of quick and unremarkable votes.

Of potential interest was the vote to move the borough-wide LERTA district -- or Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance -- forward.

Although the ad committee, half borough council, half school district, has made recommendations, and just endorsed them, apparently, Borough Manager Mark Flanders said I would have to file a Right to Know request to get access to it -- this despite the fact that it was discussed at the Wednesday work session.

I have already filed that request, but you will have to wait in breathless anticipation to find out what conditions members of the two boards are hoping to impose on LERTA-seekers.

In case you've lost track, LERTAs attempt to attract development by slowly stepping up the increased tax liability of improved property over a fixed period of time.

In other words, if an empty lot is improved with a $1 million building, the tax bill might be based on a $100,000 assessment the first year; $200,000 the next and so on. But the period of delay, along with lots of other conditions, are some of the things the two boards have been discussing since February.

So read your Mercury in the next few days to find out where things stand.

In the meantime, be satisfied with these Tweets, links and videos ....