The Willow Bend Deal
The Arena and the Legacy of Bad Public Financing Deals Plano ISD just locked up to $250 million of future school-tax growth for a Dallas Stars arena without a public vote. Plano ISD just agreed to hand over up to $250 million of future school-tax growth to help build a new arena for the Dallas Stars at the site of the dying Willow Bend Mall on the city's west side. . The board approved the deal. The city council signed off. No public vote was required. On paper the arrangement looks tidy. In practice it locks away money the schools could…