Name: Indiana will not have to release Indianapolis' bid for Amazon's HQ2. Here's why.
Brand: indystar.com
SKU: indystar-com-15
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

Indiana will not have to release Indianapolis' bid for Amazon's HQ2. Here's why.

preview

Indianapolis StarView CommentsThe public will likely never know the details of the Indianapolis proposal for Amazon's HQ2&nbsp;headquarters,&nbsp;following a judge's ruling that the Indiana Economic Development Corporation does not have to release the documents under the state's public records law.The sought copies of the city's failed proposal, including all records related to its cost.But the public agency&nbsp;— which assisted both Indianapolis and the city of Gary with its Amazon proposals&nbsp;—&nbsp;has argued that the documents&nbsp;constitute&nbsp;neither&nbsp;an offer nor a final offer, which must be disclosed to the public after negotiations are finished.In his April 24 order, Judge John Chavis argued that the&nbsp;proposal was not a final offer because the agency did not certify that the terms accurately represented one — a move required by state law.The state legislature&nbsp;intended for "final offer" to mean "more than just the initial, only and last proposal that was on the table at the time the clock ran out on negotiations between Indianapolis and Amazon," Chavis wrote.But Chavis will review one more document&nbsp;—&nbsp;a confidential questionnaire that Amazon sent after Indianapolis was announced as a finalist in 2018&nbsp;— to ensure it also does not detail a final offer."It appears likely that the confidential questionnaire and any responses thereto amount to&nbsp;nothing more than records relating to negotiations between the IEDC and Amazon that were&nbsp;created while negotiations were in progress," Chavis wrote, "and therefore excepted from disclosure at the discretion of the IEDC."The state's public records law exempts records of negotiations with the IEDC&nbsp;— but does require the terms of a final offer to be revealed after negotiations finish.The IEDC declined to offer further comment on the judge's ruling.Mayor Joe Hogsett's office deferred to the IEDC for comment on the order, noting that it was not a party to the lawsuit.Investigation:&nbsp;Cornish Hitchcock, a lawyer for Tax Analysts, expressed disappointment in the decision. The publication is still deciding whether to appeal&nbsp;the decision."IEDC is a public agency," he said. "It was willing to spend $1.5 billion, maybe $2.75 billion to help Gary. It's a fair question to wonder how much it was willing to spend to help Indianapolis." Indianapolis was that vied for the company's second headquarters in 2017, part of a fierce competition in which local and state governments across the country offered billions in economic or tax incentives to entice the tech giant.But unlike other cities, Indianapolis has declined to reveal details of its proposal.The Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce also but is not subject to public records law.Tax Analysts Gary's proposal, which it received through a public records request. That plan offered two options, one entailing $2.3 billion in economic incentives from the city and the state and another containing $3.2 billion.Call IndyStar reporter Amelia Pak-Harvey at 317-444-6175 or email her at . Follow her on Twitter .View Comments

Indianapolis StarView CommentsThe public will likely never know the details of the Indianapolis proposal for Amazon's HQ2&nbsp;headquarters,&nbsp;following a judge's ruling that the Indiana Economic Development Corporation does not have to release the documents under the state's public records law.The sought copies of the city's failed proposal, including all records related to its cost.But the public agency&nbsp;— which assisted both Indianapolis and the city of Gary with its Amazon proposals&nbsp;—&nbsp;has argued that the documents&nbsp;constitute&nbsp;neither&nbsp;an offer nor a final...

public

Amelia Pak

indystar.com

Credible

Speculation

Anecdotal Evidence

Generalization

Stacking the Deck

Appeal to Authority

Straw Man

Slippery Slope

Emotional Appeal

Red Herring

False Dilemma

Illogical

Moral Equivalency

Ad Hominem

Correlation w/o Causation

Semantics

Begging the Question

Faulty Analogy

Non Sequitur

Bandwagon

Dogmatism

Failing Occam's Razor

Biased

Pure Opinion

Hit Piece

Racial Bias

National Bias

Religious Bias

Financial Incentive

Political Agenda

Gender Bias

Misused Image/Video

Study Misinterpreted

Mistake

Misused Term

Science Misrepresented

Factual Error

Satire

Surface Level

Lack of Reliable Sources

Sensational

Not Credible

Investigative

Balanced

Well Sourced

Great Context

sports

entertainment

U.S.

international

business

technology

science

culture

politics

media

health

Indiana will not have to release Indianapolis' bid for Amazon's HQ2. Here's why.

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS