Coliseum Deficits, Moral and Otherwise

Robbie Perkins is proposing that a new public authority be established to take over operations of the Greensboro Coliseum.  This is apparently being initiated in response to the City Council's refusal at a briefing earlier this week to permit the amphitheater project to proceed.  Perkins said the concern is that the Coliseum is being "politicized".

Translation: city staff is not getting what they want automatically, so we need to create a different structure.  The fact that some very dishonest things happened with regard to the amphitheater and the aquatic center appear to be of little concern.

The City Council did a good job of shooting down this particular proposal.  When Matt Brown initiated construction, it simply had not been aired publicly; and there had been no discussion in council as to whether it would be approved, and if so, where it should be sited.

Now Robbie wants to use the hotel tax, or raise restaurant taxes, to fund the coliseum deficit.  But remember that we heard the lament of the local hospitality industry, with all its travails, when it was time to argue in favor of the aquatic center.  Do we truly want to raise the taxes they must collect from their patrons after having accepted all the arguments they had made about the difficulties they are having?

The problem with public authorities is that they often tend not to be terribly accountable to the public.  It could provide a structure for Matt Brown to have his way even more than he already does.  Robbie is correct that it would be good to get other jurisdictions to share in the Coliseum deficit-- but good luck with that. 

On a somewhat entertaining side note, a Fox 8 reporter referred to Robbie Perkins as the City Council Chairman when this story was aired.  It is not clear whether that was an honest mistake, or if it was a Freudian slip:

 

Comments

[buzzman]

Robbie probably told the reporter that he is the CHAIRMAN of the City Council. In his mind, he is!
All we need is a "public authority" consisting of a bunch of folks who know absolutely nothing about running such a complex. Leave it to Robbie to come up with such foolishness.

[Joe Guarino]

It would be interesting to know, Buzzman, how the reporter got that impression. I really am not sure about this proposal.

[mick]

I'm not sold on the "Authority" issue at all. I'd have to be convinced of what issues such a group would solve (not to mention create!) I am glad the council members and others are at least looking for ways to govern/manage the CVM complex including privatization, Authority, etc. Not real big on a sales tax and/or tax increase at this time. Would lean toward sales tax or restaurant tax or "High Point Road" tax if absolutely necessary.

Where does CVM lose money? Little bits here and there? Failed events? Community events?

Too bad it seems impossible to extract actual (or at least conservative #) tax dollars to City due to CVM complex. Those numbers would affect my decision making process I think.