Ready-to-play ball and see how City Manager Chris Brady wants to juggle the numbers to create more confusion?
New Financing Plan Proposed for $60M Sports Complex
by Jim Walsh, Tribune Staff Writer 6 hours ago
"Mesa is hoping taxpayers kick the Mesa Plays sports complex across the goal line after a shift in financing placed the tax burden on out-of-town patrons for the much awaited, much debated $55 million facility.
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EVT Staff Writer Jim Walsh's Story-Time
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The financing shift, orchestrated by City Manager Chris Brady, leaves Mesa taxpayers responsible for paying off the $25 million cost of nine artificial turf fields reserved for community use, even though they also could be incorporated into a large tournament.
Although excise bonds do not need approval from voters, advocates must convince voters to support two related ballot questions – the bed tax increase and spending more than $1.5 million on a city project.
But $30 million in excise bonds would be issued to pay for 15 fields reserved for tournaments. Sales tax revenues would be pledged in support of the bonds, but the biggest source of funds is a 1 percent increase in bed taxes paid by hotel and motel guests.
Although excise bonds do not need approval from voters, advocates must convince voters to support two related ballot questions – the bed tax increase and spending more than $1.5 million on a city project.
“The community is going to have to endorse Mesa Plays. It’s thumbs up or thumbs down on both of these questions,’’ Brady said. . . "
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Blogger Note: Way-too-Cunning Chris sets that up as
A BINARY CHOICE
“The community is going to have to endorse Mesa Plays. It’s thumbs up or thumbs down on both of these questions,’’ Brady said.
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"The folks who are coming from out of town are paying for this. That seems a lot cleaner to me,’’ Mayor John Giles said, vowing to campaign for voters to approve the related Mesa Plays ballot questions, and also the general obligation bond packages which amount to a municipal goodie bag of improvements . . .
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“I’m pretty confident. I would not agree to this if I didn’t think it was achievable,’’ Garcia said. “This is the right project for the right city at the right time.’’
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". . . A secondary benefit from the split financing arrangement is that city officials were able to shave a cool $30 million off the general obligation bond ballot measure that would go before voters in November, perhaps making it more palatable . . . "That’s not to say they are not hoping taxpayers are generous this year. The parks and cultural outlay would be $111 million, a cost of $24 in secondary property tax to the average homeowner.
The public safety portion of the bond package is $85 million, which includes two fire stations in southeast and northeast Mesa, a police station in northeast Mesa, new fire trucks and a new police evidence facility. The cost to the average homeowner is $19.
The City Council is scheduled on July 2 to formally vote to place the $196 million bond issue on the November ballot, with separate questions for the parks and public safety improvements.
Giles said he supports all of the ballot questions but is still interested in receiving feedback from voters.
The bond issue contains goodies for everybody, but it focuses especially on building out many quality-of-life and public safety facilities in East Mesa
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