03-24-2010, 04:26 PM
<!--quoteo(post=84367:date=Mar 24 2010, 03:05 PM:name=Butcher)-->QUOTE (Butcher @ Mar 24 2010, 03:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=84363:date=Mar 24 2010, 03:00 PM:name=The Dude)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Dude @ Mar 24 2010, 03:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Also, wasn't the rental car thing dropped like a week ago?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I thought the tax add-ons were dropped, too.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This was the latest, I believe:
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories...08/daily68.html
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->The Chicago Cubs have ditched plans for an 8 percent tax on all Cactus League tickets to help pay for a new $80 million spring training ballpark in Mesa.
....
But Cubs President Crane Kenney said Thursday that the team does not need the tax to help finance the new stadium. Kenney said the team could finance the stadium through a $1 increase to Maricopa County’s rental car tax, bonding and spending increases to be voted on by Mesa voters.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Alternative funding plans for the Cubs stadium and other Cactus League ballparks include creating special tax districts to help finance stadiums or new taxes on restaurants and satellite television services. Mesa lobbyists Scott Butler and John MacDonald argue those funding mechanisms don’t have support at the Legislature or wouldn’t create enough revenue. Most of the other ideas, they say, have come from lobbyist John Kaites, who represents the White Sox and Seattle Mariners.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
And this:
http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/ne...id=4985952
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->"The plan for our facility can be managed through the Mesa property tax referendum that will happen in November, and the car rental tax," Kenney said. "The ticket tax is not needed for what we're building. But ... [Mesa and the state of Arizona] seem to have our needs well in hand."
Kenney said the discussion isn't just about the Cubs.
"They are talking about what the appropriate long term vision is for the Cactus League," he said. "This isn't about the Cubs, this is about the other teams in the league as well."
Kenney also said the Cubs are committed to pay between $20-$30 million to develop a non-baseball area around the facility.
The Cubs are expected to move into the new facility in 2013, a year later than originally estimated.
Other topics Kenney touched on are:
• The Cubs will have a new CFO by April 1;
• The marquee on Wrigley Field at Clark and Addison is getting a facelift;
• The Sheffield Grill, which is a new year-round restaurant at Wrigley, will open April 5;
• Construction on the "Triangle Building" -- which will house front-office headquarters and will house bars, restaurants and possibly a hotel -- should start after this season;
• Funding for the "Triangle Building" and other rehabbing of Wrigley Field could be $200-$300 million over the next four years. The vision is for it to be completed by 2014, which is the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field;
• There will be virtual ads on rooftops during games, perhaps beginning as early as 2011.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I thought the tax add-ons were dropped, too.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This was the latest, I believe:
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories...08/daily68.html
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->The Chicago Cubs have ditched plans for an 8 percent tax on all Cactus League tickets to help pay for a new $80 million spring training ballpark in Mesa.
....
But Cubs President Crane Kenney said Thursday that the team does not need the tax to help finance the new stadium. Kenney said the team could finance the stadium through a $1 increase to Maricopa County’s rental car tax, bonding and spending increases to be voted on by Mesa voters.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Alternative funding plans for the Cubs stadium and other Cactus League ballparks include creating special tax districts to help finance stadiums or new taxes on restaurants and satellite television services. Mesa lobbyists Scott Butler and John MacDonald argue those funding mechanisms don’t have support at the Legislature or wouldn’t create enough revenue. Most of the other ideas, they say, have come from lobbyist John Kaites, who represents the White Sox and Seattle Mariners.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
And this:
http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/ne...id=4985952
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->"The plan for our facility can be managed through the Mesa property tax referendum that will happen in November, and the car rental tax," Kenney said. "The ticket tax is not needed for what we're building. But ... [Mesa and the state of Arizona] seem to have our needs well in hand."
Kenney said the discussion isn't just about the Cubs.
"They are talking about what the appropriate long term vision is for the Cactus League," he said. "This isn't about the Cubs, this is about the other teams in the league as well."
Kenney also said the Cubs are committed to pay between $20-$30 million to develop a non-baseball area around the facility.
The Cubs are expected to move into the new facility in 2013, a year later than originally estimated.
Other topics Kenney touched on are:
• The Cubs will have a new CFO by April 1;
• The marquee on Wrigley Field at Clark and Addison is getting a facelift;
• The Sheffield Grill, which is a new year-round restaurant at Wrigley, will open April 5;
• Construction on the "Triangle Building" -- which will house front-office headquarters and will house bars, restaurants and possibly a hotel -- should start after this season;
• Funding for the "Triangle Building" and other rehabbing of Wrigley Field could be $200-$300 million over the next four years. The vision is for it to be completed by 2014, which is the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field;
• There will be virtual ads on rooftops during games, perhaps beginning as early as 2011.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->