Tax Payers get Pain in the “Crackerneck”

Breaking news, tax payers of the City of Independence have to make up a $3.5 million difference in debt payments for shortfalls in “The Falls at Crackerneck Creek” and Bass Pro Shops development in the Little Blue Valley. Development partner, Byron Constance, stated that they could not make the March debt service payment. Ironically, just last month the Independence Chamber of Commerce honored Byron with their “Lifetime Member” award reserved for only an elite group of ICC members who have demonstrated distinguished service and leadership in the local business community. And even a little more closer to home, Bryon has served as a board member for the Midtown / Truman Road Corridor Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation, which ironically is also incomplete, out of money, and in the taxpayer’s pockets for approximately $40,000 per year. Citizens need to be aware that the success of the Independence Event Center is also tied to the success of the surrounding retail areas, including The Falls at Crackerneck Creek, since city officials raised the sales tax rate for this area to finance the Event Center. Just because attendance at sporting events appears to be successful, does not mean we are paying down its current $82,155,000 debt. With all our development eggs in the same basket (valley), we have created a situation that “Too Big to Fail” so here comes the government bailouts. Since this blog is also about history, I thought it would be interesting to present the origin of the name “Crackerneck.” Cracknerneck comes from the rough timbered area 6 miles southeast of Independence known as Cracker Neck because the first settlers of that area were poor white people from Georgia, where they were known as Crackers. And the term “Cracker” was a derogatory term for the poor, white trash, settlers in the southern American colonies in the mid-18^th century. Who da thunk that the Crackerneck name would be associated with an up-scale development in Independence.