I don’t agree with Rounds 99.9% of the time, but he is right about this;
“I personally think that an events center in Sioux Falls would be a very positive move. The problem is, the bill in its existing form would have allowed the municipalities to have literally an open access to the next penny of sales tax. I disagree with the way the bill was written. We think there’s a better way to do it. It’s going to be challenging to write it correctly.”
Why? Sioux Falls already has 2 pennies to play with, and if they can find money for monkey crappers and subsidizing the feds for our levees that we don’t need, they can find money for an Events Center.
“Pretty soon it would have been buried, and people would have wondered where that one penny was going because it would have been buried in one project after another across the state,” he said.
Exactly, as I have said all along, a Sunset provision is laughable, at best. But what I find even more laughable is that these supposed ‘Leaders’ running for mayor have not offered other options or ideas in the hopper;
“I don’t see any way, with the existing revenue streams that we have today, that we can fund this in another manner,” he (Costello) said.
Councilor Vernon Brown said the city doesn’t have the revenue to pay off bonds for the entire project without crippling basic infrastructure, . . .
Costello appears to be closed minded about any other funding sources. Nice knowing yah. And Brown says we can’t take out bonds. Gee Vernon, I wonder why? Because we have borrowed money for projects that we don’t need and now the city can’t borrow anymore for major projects. And guess who voted for all this spending? YOU! You both look like complete morons that are talking out of both sides of your mouths. Your arrogant confidence in this flawed funding source will hand you both your crippling defeats in the mayoral race.
Fortunately Huethers and Staggers have open minds;
Mike Huether wants to focus on replacing the Arena, which he said can be done without a sales tax. He’d do it with user fees, naming rights, some borrowing and an increased bed, board and beverage tax. “That’s how other cities do it, and we can do the same,” he said.
Councilor Kermit Staggers, who voted against the plan, said the task force took an easy out in recommending a sales tax. Instead, he suggested pursuing user fees, naming rights and private investment and stashing some money away before borrowing what else is needed. He also wants to reduce the size of the events center proposal.
I can’t wait to inaugurate one of these guys!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sETQvtGStbQ[/youtube]