When the Braves announced they were moving to Cobb County, there was outrage that millions of dollars in taxpayer money had been committed to the project – in secret.
Some say the nationwide bidding war to win Amazon's HQ2 – isn't much better.
Georgia's proposal to win Amazon's second headquarters is described as the most aggressive package the state has ever offered. But investigator Rebecca Lindstrom found that taxpayers don't often know what's in it.
Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary told 11Alive he believed the opposite approach should be taken. He's bidding for Amazon to land there, even offering to change the city's name to Amazon, Georgia. While some communities believe too much information will hurt their competitive edge, Lary said he'll answer any question about his city's offer to Amazon. He thinks taxpayers, have the right to know.
"Do you think that puts you at a disadvantage," Lindstrom asked.
"I do not," Lary responded.
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Of the 20 regions named as finalists, only seven have talked openly about their offer. Overall, Georgia is not one of them.
"I think full disclosure should always be the order of the day," explained Georgia State College of Business professor Ed Baker. "I'm taken back that there are at least five markets in this country doing this behind closed doors."
"Atlanta being one of them," Lindstriom asked.
"To a degree," Baker allowed.
While there are several cities in Georgia vying for Amazon's HQ2, former Mayor Kasim Reed has said his city's deal – along with any incentives the state might add – is worth about $1 billion. That's more than double the largest deal to date – a $400 million tax incentive package to Kia.
"You're in a high stakes gamble right now," Baker said. "But I do believe that the return on investment, if it's a billion, even two billion dollars, I think it's worth it."
Baker, who's also a former Atlanta Business Chronicle publisher, said the one thing every city in this bidding war is giving Amazon – regardless of whether it ever lays a brick – is valuable market research.
"How much would it have cost them to gather background data on 220 markets? A lot. Millions over a long period of time," Baker explained. "Amazon's going to come away with an unbelievable amount of information to help their business grow."
And it was all funded with tax dollars.
While cities like Boston and Philadelphia have released their proposals to the public, Montgomery County, Maryland gave reporters pages and pages of black ink. Meanwhile, Chicago is being sued for its silence, and here in Georgia, state law allows it to withhold the information until a deal is done.
"They're very close lipped," Stonecrest's mayor Lary said.
And while not even Lary knows what incentives the state is offering to sweeten the deal, should Amazon choose to locate somewhere in Georgia, as for his offer: "We're at a 99 percent approval rating for amazon to come here," he said.
"How do you know that," Lindstrom asked.
"Because at every city council meeting, they tell us," he ended with a laugh.
