Chamber Alliance Tries Again, With Feeling

It's early December. Time to pick out a tree, gas up the snow blower and hear the Iowa Chamber Alliance outline its legislative agenda.

It happened again today, right on time:

Key business leaders from Iowa's largest cities Wednesday called for transforming state government and the way it spurs economic growth by enlisting private-sector concepts to streamline programs and regulations that will enhance Iowa's business environment and job creation.Representatives of the Iowa Chamber Alliance – a non-partisan coalition representing 16 chambers of commerce and economic development organizations in Iowa – unveiled their policy proposals and initiatives they hope the Legislature and Governor-elect Terry Branstad will consider during the 2011 session to encourage business growth and create jobs while stimulating local economies and revenue growth in the process....The alliance's plan for stimulating economic growth included calls for easing commercial property tax burdens, simplifying state income taxes, reducing state corporate income tax rates, reshaping the distribution formula for road use tax fund proceeds, promoting the expansion of passenger rail service in Iowa, strengthening Iowa educational system and links to career paths, and scrutinizing all state budget expenditures to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.“All across our state we're seeing change, change, change,” said Robin Anderson, executive director of the Mason City Area Chamber of Commerce...

Representatives of the Iowa Chamber Alliance – a non-partisan coalition representing 16 chambers of commerce and economic development organizations in Iowa – unveiled their policy proposals and initiatives they hope the Legislature and Governor-elect Terry Branstad will consider during the 2011 session to encourage business growth and create jobs while stimulating local economies and revenue growth in the process.

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The alliance's plan for stimulating economic growth included calls for easing commercial property tax burdens, simplifying state income taxes, reducing state corporate income tax rates, reshaping the distribution formula for road use tax fund proceeds, promoting the expansion of passenger rail service in Iowa, strengthening Iowa educational system and links to career paths, and scrutinizing all state budget expenditures to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.

“All across our state we're seeing change, change, change,” said Robin Anderson, executive director of the Mason City Area Chamber of Commerce...

Change, change, change. And yet, this sounds sort of familiar...

To the archives:

2009 -- A statewide alliance of business leaders is asking state lawmakers to scrutinize state government spending, lower commercial and industrial property taxes and invest in Iowa's rail system.…The alliance is encouraging a revision of the formula allocating road use taxes so that a greater share is spent on Iowa's primary road system, allowing high-traffic areas to be funded first.2008 -- Members of the Iowa Chamber Alliance -- an organization representing 16 Iowa metro areas -- said they are concerned that Iowa's system of taxing commercial and industrial property continues to be uncompetitive, and further delays in reforming the outdated system are intensifying the disproportionate burden.Other elements of the alliance's "pro-growth" 2009 legislative agenda called for expanded passenger rail service, increased emphasis on upgrading infrastructure and attractions, streamlined immigration processes for highly skilled workers and allowing employers to recruit immigrant workers.2007 -- Top Iowa business leaders Thursday called for legislative reforms that will ease tax burdens for commercial/industrial property owners and better pump scarce state resources into upgrading Iowa's most-traveled roadways without raising the gas tax.2005 -- Top Iowa business leaders Wednesday urged legislative action to balance inequities among property taxpayers, refocus road funds to highly traveled areas and pump $15 million annually into Vision Iowa for building more major attractions around the state.2001 -- A coalition of urban interests conceded Tuesday they face an uphill struggle in convincing the Legislature to reconfigure the distribution of road tax revenues to give a bigger share to the state and cities at the expense of rural areas.

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The alliance is encouraging a revision of the formula allocating road use taxes so that a greater share is spent on Iowa's primary road system, allowing high-traffic areas to be funded first.

2008 -- Members of the Iowa Chamber Alliance -- an organization representing 16 Iowa metro areas -- said they are concerned that Iowa's system of taxing commercial and industrial property continues to be uncompetitive, and further delays in reforming the outdated system are intensifying the disproportionate burden.

Other elements of the alliance's "pro-growth" 2009 legislative agenda called for expanded passenger rail service, increased emphasis on upgrading infrastructure and attractions, streamlined immigration processes for highly skilled workers and allowing employers to recruit immigrant workers.

2007 -- Top Iowa business leaders Thursday called for legislative reforms that will ease tax burdens for commercial/industrial property owners and better pump scarce state resources into upgrading Iowa's most-traveled roadways without raising the gas tax.

2005 -- Top Iowa business leaders Wednesday urged legislative action to balance inequities among property taxpayers, refocus road funds to highly traveled areas and pump $15 million annually into Vision Iowa for building more major attractions around the state.

2001 -- A coalition of urban interests conceded Tuesday they face an uphill struggle in convincing the Legislature to reconfigure the distribution of road tax revenues to give a bigger share to the state and cities at the expense of rural areas.

Commercial property taxes, a road use tax fund rewrite, expanded passenger rail. Throw in a Cubs World Series victory, and you've got yourself a slam dunk, lead-pipe lock of an agenda.

Of course, the Chamber Alliance isn't the only group that's been clamouring for our courageous, yet glacial, Legislature to act on property tax reform. One year, Tom Vilsack brought a 1930s-era report to his Condition of the State speech that called for property tax reform in Iowa. I swear, they'll put a man on the moon before they get to it.

The road use rewrite is one of those intractable rural-urban issues that won't be addressed by a Legislature in partial Republican hands. And I'd like passenger rail more if our leaders actually wanted to build a real high-speed system that people might ride. This modified 79 mph freight train with windows that's being planned isn't it.

But the alliance now has friends in high places, with David Roederer, its departing executive director, running Terry Branstad's trasition, and eventually his Department of Management, and Siouxland Chamber prez Debi Durham taking over economic development.  Branstad has vowed to tackle this commercial property tax issue, once and for all.

I wish him luck. But the Cubs might have a better chance.