Sanofi-Aventis is the largest pharmaceutical company in all of Europe,and is one of the world's five largest pharmaceutical companies, along with Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis, and GlaxoSmithKline. In their last fiscal year, this mammoth organization had revenues in excess of $38,000,000,000. If there are too many "zeroes" to comprehend, that number is THIRTY EIGHT BILLION DOLLARS.
As we previously noted, they are presently in a 35,000 sq. ft. building in Oro Valley and on November 15th, broke ground for there brand new 110,350 square foot research and development facility in Innovation Park.
Sounds like good news, right? But wait...
On December 12th, the Oro Valley Town Council went into Executive Session (also known as "a secret session") to take up the following agenda item:
"Discussion and consultation with legal counsel regarding moving forward and presenting an economic development agreement to Sanof Aventis Tucson Research Center."
As this was a "secret session", all we can report is the fact that Council Member Paula Abbott, to her credit, opted not to be part of this "deal." Whether or not it was legal to discuss this EDA in secret is another question.
Why this Council will even consider giving any incentive to a company will more than $38 BILLION in revenue is mind boggling, while this same council keeps coming up with new ways to tax the citizens. If that's not crazy, you tell me what it is! Hopefully, will all soon find out what was done behind closed doors (See our posting of December 16). In any even, this Council can't get away with any "giveaways" without allowing the citizens to know.
Might this be just another reason to get new people on this council with a little more fiscal responsibility?
5 comments:
Yes I believe it!!
Hey these people don't learn from past experience and mistakes.
Also if they broke the law who are they accountable to, I know it is not the citizens. Should this be reported to the Attorney Generals office.
Does anybody care.
All I can say is this is another example of why we need new council members.
After the holidays hopefully somebody starts a recall petition.
Also I guess they don't take the Arizona state constitution seriously as these EDA's are possibly unconstitutional.
If the council thinks that it is above the law they may want to take note that so did the mayor of Marana.
Arrogant sums it up for me.
Could somebody please explain to me why Oro Valley needs to offer incentives to a company that has been in Oro Valley for decades and has already decided to stay?
Are you saying that this town want to tax me just so they can give money away to foreign corporations?
Go to the Agendas page. Click the button next to "Council Packet - Wednesday, December 19, 2007."
You'll see what Sanofi-aventis is asking for: $360,000.00 of the taxes that they owe us that they don't want to pay.
The Town Council is going to vote on this on this coming Wednesday, December 19!
Geez, I wonder where Sanofi-Aventis got the idea that this would fly pass the OV council?
If they don't want to pay taxes then what is the advantage of having a business located in OV?
So they want to take from OV but don't want to pay their fair share.
Sounds like vestar!!!!
The TC doesn't seem to care that these EDAs are most probably ILLEGAL under 3 clauses of the AZ Constitution. Yes, we need new council members; yes, we need a complaint filed with the Atty Gen (cc to Gov and to Giffords)and yes, we need a letter to Sanofi expressing our displeasure.
This Town and it's leaders (?) have gotton away with all kinds of misdeeds for over 20 years now - tax evasion techniques (landowners/future developers); zoning regulation misapplications; violations of the AZ Constitution
(not just EDA's); violations of local ordinances (so what say the council) etc., etc.,etc,.
WHY?
Egomania? Quid pro quo? Power? Under the table payoffs (one council person has admitted receiving payola claiming it as legal by a plethora of gobbledegook running out of his mouth; have any of the TC NOT revealed THEIR OWN Quid Pro Quo's?)
This town makes no sense - an over the top sports complex (supposed to be a 'town site' (park); business center (Innovations Park) with a Police center to be planted within because of some land deal the Town 'worked out'; a Town over-retailed now and more to come; a Town in financial dissarray which continues to try to give away our money while attempting to gather more in by iniating more taxes. WHAT SCHOOLS DID OUR 'CARETAKERS' GO TO - or, are they simply a bunch of wiley CROOKS?
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