I’ve published a number of pieces about the 2018 Kansas City incentives study. Links to those are below. All the clues that the study would simply support existing policy were in place, but even I was surprised by the process which produced a study of incentives that was anything but.
The report on our investigation into the study is linked at the bottom of this post.
The Show-Me Institute has set up a Google Drive folder with all the supporting documents, including the request for proposal, bids, and large email files obtained through open records requests. But here are some of the key items we found most compelling:
- Original CDFA response to request for proposal
- Initial contract with CDFA
- Email from Mark Barbash to Kerrie Tyndall
- Email from Matt Webster to Bob Langenkamp
- Email containing chart of CDFA meetings with stakeholders
- Early draft of CDFA report
Previous Show-Me posts on economic development subsidies and the CDFA report specifically:
- What an Honest Economic Development Study in Kansas City Might Conclude, Oct 21, 2016
- Kansas City Hires Fox to Watch Henhouse, Nov 16, 2016
- Where Is That City Report on Economic Development? May 29, 2018
- City Chooses Highest Bidder to Conduct Economic Development Analysis, Jun 28, 2018
- More Reason to be Skeptical of Economic Development Incentives, Aug 15, 2018
- Kansas City Incentive Study Misses Opportunity, Sep 13, 2018
- How Bad was the CDFA Study of Incentives in Kansas City? Sep 14, 2018
- How Not to Study Economic Development Incentives, Dec 11, 2018
On May 22, Patrick Tuohey held a press conference about the findings in the report:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyVBIJ59yIo&t=
