4/2/2005
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Mayor will support governor's regional tax approach, Marion County food & beverage tax
City asks Inspector General, state OMB Director to join CIB, take permanent role in state oversight, efficiency of the project
INDIANAPOLIS - Mayor Bart Peterson today said he will support Gov. Mitch Daniels' proposal to fund a new venue for the Indianapolis Colts, NCAA basketball and many other events with a regional food & beverage tax.
In addition, the Mayor proposed adding two permanent, voting members representing the state - the state Inspector General and Director of the state Office of Management & Budget (OMB) - to the Capital Improvement Board (CIB), the city-county board that throughout the years developed and owns the Indiana Convention Center, the RCA Dome, Conseco Fieldhouse and Victory Field.
Earlier this week, Gov. Daniels proposed raising a regional food & beverage tax in Indianapolis and the eight surrounding counties. He also has said that suburban county officials have expressed their support for raising the tax.
The Mayor thanked Gov. Daniels and said he would do his part by seeking approval for an increase of the Marion County food & beverage tax, in conjunction with the surrounding counties.
"Gov. Daniels deserves a great deal of credit for his leadership, creativity and commitment to this important project," Mayor Peterson said.
"This was a visionary, well-thought out plan, and I know it was tough job to sell," he added. "The governor clearly understands the opportunity we have before us and has helped ensure that Indianapolis can keep the Colts for 30 years, expand the convention center and keep NCAA Final Fours coming here decades to come.
"I look forward to working with Gov. Daniels, the General Assembly and our City-County Council to build support for this plan and make this important economic development project a reality."
State involvement & oversight. In addition, the Mayor pointed out that Daniels and members of his administration have expressed the need for a formal state role in oversight of the project to help ensure the project's efficiency and smooth operation. To that end, Mayor Peterson is:
• Proposing to add the Inspector General and OMB Director as permanent, voting members of the CIB to oversee financing, construction and operation of this project and all current and future CIB projects, including Conseco Fieldhouse, Victory Field and the Indiana Convention Center; and
• Inviting the state's legal and financial team to have a major role in reviewing the financing and construction of the project.
This way, the Mayor said, the governor will have the state's top financing official and chief efficiency expert as a permanent, major component of the stadium project and all CIB past and future projects.
"Even though the city is paying for the majority of this project, Gov. Daniels did some incredibly heavy lifting to get us to this point," the Mayor said. "Gov. Daniels recognized the regional and statewide benefit this project brings with it, and he is absolutely correct that the state deserves representation in this process.
"Mayors Lugar, Hudnut and Goldsmith did a fantastic job developing the Indiana Convention Center, the RCA Dome, Victory Field and Conseco Fieldhouse," Peterson added. "Working together with these new state partners, today's city leaders can look to the future and lead the charge to make our community strong and successful."
Background on the project. Pending funding approval by the Indiana General Assembly and the Indianapolis-Marion County City-County Council, the project will include:
• Expansion of the Indiana Convention Center;
• A new multi-use venue - scheduled to open in the fall of 2008 with a retractable roof;
• A new home for the next four decades for NCAA Basketball's "March Madness;"
• An agreement to keep the National Football League (NFL) and the Indianapolis Colts in Indiana for 30 more years;
• A chance to bid for the NFL's Super Bowl;
• An extension of the annual NFL Scouting Combine, where the nation's top college football stars audition for NFL owners and coaches;
• Playing host to a future meeting of the NFL owners; and
• Moving forward with a downtown IndyGo transit center, which will enhance public transportation throughout central Indiana.
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