As you are probably aware, there will be many propositions on the ballot Novemeber 7. Working at the legislature has given me the opportunity to be become familiar with most of them. I urge my neighbors to do two things: 1. Vote and 2. Be an educated voter. There are a few propositions that will have a serious impact to Arizona and much of the info out there is misleading and incomplete. The one I am most familiar with is Proposition 302. Many of the ads and information being circulated by the Cardinal organization is that it is more than a stadium (ie. tourism, cactus league, youth sports. Here are a few examples of misleading information:
1)It will not cost Maricopa County taxpayers anything if they do not go to a game, rent a car, or stay in a hotel room. FACT: The tax increase is for stadium construction and upkeep ONLY. Taxpayers will have to pick up the cost for infrastructure: parking, site engineering, water, sewer, gas and telecommunication lines, traffic improvements including roads, signage, and administrative costs associated with installation and maintenance. According to a study done for Mesa and Tempe this would cost taxpayers in excess of $122 million. The same study confirmed that for this investment, the taxpayers will receive a return on that investment, in 30 years, roughly $16 million.
Here is what the Bidwells get for their $85 million investment:
100% of all home game ticket sales
100% of all home game luxury suite and premium seating
100% of all home game concession revenue
100% of all home game parking proceeds (remember WE pay for the parking lots!)
100 % of all home game interior and exterior stadium advertising
100% of stadium naming rights (this alone is at a minimum $6.8 million per year or $205 million over the 30 year life of this tax.)
FACT: Currently income tax from Cardinal players and staff go into the state general fund which pays for education, public health and safety, etc. Should this pass, that money ($3.5 million in FY2002 alone) will be diverted to pay off the stadium. Who do you think will have to make that up?
Because I am limited by space on this board I will stop there. I may add more later, especially about the misleading youth sports provision (ie. new fields in communities). What I have written here are facts which I can easily back up. If you have questions on this or other propositions feel free to e-mail me or call me at 456-5425.
1)It will not cost Maricopa County taxpayers anything if they do not go to a game, rent a car, or stay in a hotel room. FACT: The tax increase is for stadium construction and upkeep ONLY. Taxpayers will have to pick up the cost for infrastructure: parking, site engineering, water, sewer, gas and telecommunication lines, traffic improvements including roads, signage, and administrative costs associated with installation and maintenance. According to a study done for Mesa and Tempe this would cost taxpayers in excess of $122 million. The same study confirmed that for this investment, the taxpayers will receive a return on that investment, in 30 years, roughly $16 million.
Here is what the Bidwells get for their $85 million investment:
100% of all home game ticket sales
100% of all home game luxury suite and premium seating
100% of all home game concession revenue
100% of all home game parking proceeds (remember WE pay for the parking lots!)
100 % of all home game interior and exterior stadium advertising
100% of stadium naming rights (this alone is at a minimum $6.8 million per year or $205 million over the 30 year life of this tax.)
FACT: Currently income tax from Cardinal players and staff go into the state general fund which pays for education, public health and safety, etc. Should this pass, that money ($3.5 million in FY2002 alone) will be diverted to pay off the stadium. Who do you think will have to make that up?
Because I am limited by space on this board I will stop there. I may add more later, especially about the misleading youth sports provision (ie. new fields in communities). What I have written here are facts which I can easily back up. If you have questions on this or other propositions feel free to e-mail me or call me at 456-5425.
