Your Menards questions answered

(In the wake of Monday's announcement by Menards that it is cancelling plans to build a store in Decorah, our readers are asking questions:

Mike e-mails: "Can you remind your readers who on the Planning & Zoning Commission voted for and who voted against Menard's application to build next to Walmart?"

Bob asks: "How much tax money is Decorah losing because Menards won't build a store in Decorah?"):

Mr. Answer Person says: "First, the easy question.  The vote by the Planning & Zoning Commission was 4-3 against rezoning the property in the floodplain for the proposed Menards store.  Voting against rezoning the majority were Joel Zook, Llew Jenkins, Barbara Massman and Nathan Thompson.  Voting in the minority were Brian Cook, Tony Clarke and Stan Moellers.

The question about lost tax revenue is somewhat harder to answer.  First of all, as my father used to say, 'Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.'  This question involves what would happen in the future, so instead of discussing facts, we're discussing predictions.

With that disclaimer written, the figures cited in a handout during city council meetings were that sales tax receipts to the city would increase around $300,000 the first year, while property taxes would increase $126,770.  City officials looked at a ten-year projection and guessed that a TOTAL of $4.7 million in additional revenues would go to the city over those ten years."