City Does not Know how it will fund its share of $63 million for Everbank

[carpnter]

Let us step back for a moment because I think a lot of this is fueled by the fact the people are disappointed that this much money is going to stadium when clearly other projects in the city may be more important.  The owner of the Jaguars Mr. Kahn is known for keeping details about his businesses and ventures secret.  He prefers making the deal in the back room and ironing out all the wrinkles before making the bed.  Whereas the Mayor seems to just want to get news out there.  I am pretty sure they know exactly how this will be paid for, Kahn would not make this announcement only to have the city fall through and him look like a joke to his new NFL owners club friends.  I believe it all comes down to agendas. Kahn had to nail down this talk of Jags moving before season got underway because he wants everyone's head on one thing, winning.  The Mayor is clearly working everything from the angle of re-election, after all why else would you file 2 years ahead of time? 

In my opinion this has all been hashed out and agreed upon, just info is being kept quiet until it is beneficial to their agendas.

I doubt you are correct about the Mayor, it is beneficial to his agenda to answer the question now not later.  Not answering the question now makes him look like he doesn't have a plan.  The Mayor isn't a king and he needs to realize that, he needs buy in from the city council to make this happen and keeping them in the dark isn't going to get their support. 

[copperfiend]

Let us step back for a moment because I think a lot of this is fueled by the fact the people are disappointed that this much money is going to stadium when clearly other projects in the city may be more important.  The owner of the Jaguars Mr. Kahn is known for keeping details about his businesses and ventures secret.  He prefers making the deal in the back room and ironing out all the wrinkles before making the bed.  Whereas the Mayor seems to just want to get news out there.  I am pretty sure they know exactly how this will be paid for, Kahn would not make this announcement only to have the city fall through and him look like a joke to his new NFL owners club friends.  I believe it all comes down to agendas. Kahn had to nail down this talk of Jags moving before season got underway because he wants everyone's head on one thing, winning.  The Mayor is clearly working everything from the angle of re-election, after all why else would you file 2 years ahead of time? 

In my opinion this has all been hashed out and agreed upon, just info is being kept quiet until it is beneficial to their agendas.

I doubt you are correct about the Mayor, it is beneficial to his agenda to answer the question now not later.  Not answering the question now makes him look like he doesn't have a plan.  The Mayor isn't a king and he needs to realize that, he needs buy in from the city council to make this happen and keeping them in the dark isn't going to get their support. 

I get I am not seeing how the city council is in the dark. The city council president was standing about a foot away from Mr. Khan yesterday at the press conference.

http://www.news4jax.com/image/view/-/20635530/highRes/2/-/jmendt/-/Shad-Khan--Bill-Bishop--Alvin-Brown.jpg

[JayBird]

Let us step back for a moment because I think a lot of this is fueled by the fact the people are disappointed that this much money is going to stadium when clearly other projects in the city may be more important.  The owner of the Jaguars Mr. Kahn is known for keeping details about his businesses and ventures secret.  He prefers making the deal in the back room and ironing out all the wrinkles before making the bed.  Whereas the Mayor seems to just want to get news out there.  I am pretty sure they know exactly how this will be paid for, Kahn would not make this announcement only to have the city fall through and him look like a joke to his new NFL owners club friends.  I believe it all comes down to agendas. Kahn had to nail down this talk of Jags moving before season got underway because he wants everyone's head on one thing, winning.  The Mayor is clearly working everything from the angle of re-election, after all why else would you file 2 years ahead of time? 

In my opinion this has all been hashed out and agreed upon, just info is being kept quiet until it is beneficial to their agendas.

I doubt you are correct about the Mayor, it is beneficial to his agenda to answer the question now not later.  Not answering the question now makes him look like he doesn't have a plan.  The Mayor isn't a king and he needs to realize that, he needs buy in from the city council to make this happen and keeping them in the dark isn't going to get their support.

Oh very true but one thing I've learned about Browns administration, they like magic.  "Watch this hand, pay no attention to what that other one is doing" type tactics. So far it has worked, people think there is huge conflict and that is something can lay the blame on.  The tell tale sign will be if the council calls him on it, if not then rest assure they know the answers already.  And more than just the comment about being kept in the dark, those who have lived in larger cities no that's the easy way of saying "no comment" because it is the same answer, one just takes the focus off of you.

Then again, he could have no idea how he'll pull that off ... But I find that highly unlikely considering a simple google search brings up many times he's been quoted on this subject. 

[Cheshire Cat]

Let us step back for a moment because I think a lot of this is fueled by the fact the people are disappointed that this much money is going to stadium when clearly other projects in the city may be more important.  The owner of the Jaguars Mr. Kahn is known for keeping details about his businesses and ventures secret.  He prefers making the deal in the back room and ironing out all the wrinkles before making the bed.  Whereas the Mayor seems to just want to get news out there.  I am pretty sure they know exactly how this will be paid for, Kahn would not make this announcement only to have the city fall through and him look like a joke to his new NFL owners club friends.  I believe it all comes down to agendas. Kahn had to nail down this talk of Jags moving before season got underway because he wants everyone's head on one thing, winning.  The Mayor is clearly working everything from the angle of re-election, after all why else would you file 2 years ahead of time? 

In my opinion this has all been hashed out and agreed upon, just info is being kept quiet until it is beneficial to their agendas.

I doubt you are correct about the Mayor, it is beneficial to his agenda to answer the question now not later.  Not answering the question now makes him look like he doesn't have a plan.  The Mayor isn't a king and he needs to realize that, he needs buy in from the city council to make this happen and keeping them in the dark isn't going to get their support. 

I get I am not seeing how the city council is in the dark. The city council president was standing about a foot away from Mr. Khan yesterday at the press conference.

http://www.news4jax.com/image/view/-/20635530/highRes/2/-/jmendt/-/Shad-Khan--Bill-Bishop--Alvin-Brown.jpg

I can see as to how this could confuse you.  In order to clarify this I contacted several city offices to inquire about this deal and the fact that both the Mayor and Council President Bill Bishop appeared in tandem with Shad Khan to announce this deal.  As long as the Council President holds that office his presence at the announcement of a deal like this is questionable in that this deal would require a bill and legislation at some point and that would be discussed by council. It is generally taken in a situation like this that the Council Presidents presence at such an announcement is an indicator that the issue has already been before the council for discussion and they are all in support. He should not be representing his personal view of any deal at this point publicly. More worrisome is the reality that"THERE IS NO LEGISLATION IN THE WORKS ON THIS DEAL AT THIS POINT...NONE!". This is a bit staggering when this fact is realized.  Firstly in that the Mayor has made some sort of deal privately and on his own with Khan and the Jags.  Secondly, Bishop can only represent his own approval of the deal by his presence which is inappropriate.  Why he as council president would put his personal view to the public via his presence before the entire council has a chance to decide their feelings about legislation that does not yet exist is troubling.  It is illegal for member of the council to discuss city business and dealings among themselves outside of the sunshine. So when and how did anyone on council have a chance to discuss the deal?  I am going to find out if the same holds true regarding the Sunshine Law when it comes to a discussion between the mayor and a member of council.  In any case, Bishop cannot stand up before the public on behalf of the entire council and be seen to represent their views of a deal that they have not seen and no legislation has been drafted on.  There are some "curious" things going on regarding how this deal is coming together and who is calling the shots.

[Charles Hunter]

As I understand Sunshine, the Mayor or anyone from his staff, can talk to any of the Council members at any time about City business.  The meeting would have to be one-on-one, if there were 2 or more Council members present, they have to "Notice" the meeting.  So, maybe Bishop was briefed.

The Mayor could even schedule 19 individual meetings with the Council members to lay out the Mayor's plan, and even get feedback.  However, the Mayor could not say, while (for example) meeting with Bishop, "Well, Bill, Clay said he supports this, so why don't you come on board?"  That would be seen the same as meeting with Clay and Bishop together.

I find it unsettling (disturbing, maddening, ...) that in the several months of discussion between February, when the "my board is more jumbo than yours" was first announced, and this week, when it was announced again, that they didn't work out the financing.

[JayBird]

The $63 million price tag will be shared more-or-less equally by the Jaguars and the city of Jacksonville.  The Jags have also agreed to serve as the construction manager, which will make any cost overruns their responsibility. Any savings will be used for additional improvements at EverBank Field.

As for the city’s portion of the bill,  City Council President Bill Bishop says that will come from a variety of user fees.

“Stay in a hotel, you pay a bed tax. It comes from sales tax generated by activities that happen here in the sports complex.  It doesn’t come from people’s property taxes,” says Bishop. “And so, in that sense it’s a good thing because these kinds of funds give us the ability to invest in our sports complex, which has been shown time and time again to be a net revenue generator for the city.”

It’s all about staying competitive, he says.

“EverBank Field and Jacksonville will now be able to compete for the very best events in sports and entertainment while ensuring a great home for the Jaguars and experience for their fans.  It’s a win-win for everyone.”

For some one who apparently doesn't know anything and is in the dark, he sure is doing a lot of talking.

http://jacksonville.icito.com/tag/everbank-field/

But one thing I really like about the above statement is this:

The Jags have also agreed to serve as the construction manager, which will make any cost overruns their responsibility.

Why isn't this on any city contract (**Shipyards**)?

[duvaldude08]

The $63 million price tag will be shared more-or-less equally by the Jaguars and the city of Jacksonville.  The Jags have also agreed to serve as the construction manager, which will make any cost overruns their responsibility. Any savings will be used for additional improvements at EverBank Field.

As for the city’s portion of the bill,  City Council President Bill Bishop says that will come from a variety of user fees.

“Stay in a hotel, you pay a bed tax. It comes from sales tax generated by activities that happen here in the sports complex.  It doesn’t come from people’s property taxes,” says Bishop. “And so, in that sense it’s a good thing because these kinds of funds give us the ability to invest in our sports complex, which has been shown time and time again to be a net revenue generator for the city.”

It’s all about staying competitive, he says.

“EverBank Field and Jacksonville will now be able to compete for the very best events in sports and entertainment while ensuring a great home for the Jaguars and experience for their fans.  It’s a win-win for everyone.”

For some one who apparently doesn't know anything and is in the dark, he sure is doing a lot of talking.

http://jacksonville.icito.com/tag/everbank-field/

But one thing I really like about the above statement is this:

The Jags have also agreed to serve as the construction manager, which will make any cost overruns their responsibility.

Why isn't this on any city contract (**Shipyards**)?

I know Jaybird. These council members are wack-o-doodles. So how is it that the council president knows exactly whats going to happen, and every else is like "huh, what happened? Whats a everbank field? "

[Cheshire Cat]

Some on council "surprised" mayor made Everbank Stadium funding announcement without a plan explaining how the city would pay for the improvements.

City Councilman Clay Yarborough said “at first glance” he doesn’t see how the city could consider closing libraries and cutting core services because of budget shortfalls while also committing $43 million for stadium improvements

Councilman Bill Gulliford said it surprised him Brown would join Jaguars owner Shad Khan in making Wednesday’s announcement without having the financial plan nailed down.

Gulliford said deciding how to pay for the improvements after announcing the city’s commitment to foot the bill is like “sending the fire truck after the building is burned down

City Council members Greg Anderson, who will head the Finance Committee during the budget hearings, and Councilman John Crescimbeni said they want to see the financing plan for the stadium improvements

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-06-20/story/city-hasnt-figured-out-how-pay-share-everbank-renovations#ixzz2WnwiESO3

[Ocklawaha]

$43 million would build and equip a streetcar line from downtown to Park and King! Oh, I'm sorry, that would make too much sense.

[Cheshire Cat]

Ock, you are correct, it would make too much sense.  You know if you run the idea by city officials and offer to place a nifty "jumbotron" on top of the streetcar, you may get some action on the streetcar idea. 

[Cheshire Cat]

This is apparently the plan.  Mayor Alvin Brown and Jags want to use bed tax to pay for Jumbotron and other stadium improvements.  Brown says we need a world class facility.  Hmmm, how about a world class team to go with that stadium? 

http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/jaguars/2013-10-02/story/mayor-brown-and-jaguars-announce-plan-would-use-bed-tax

Mayor Alvin Brown announced a plan Wednesday to use hotel bed taxes to pay the city's share of $63 million in EverBank Field renovations.

"EverBank Field is one of Jacksonville's most important economic development assets," Brown said in making the announcement. "This agreement will make make our National Football League stadium a world-class facility."

City Council would have to approve the financing arrangement. It would not use any money from the city's general fund, which pays for the day-to-day operating costs of running city services.

Brown and the Jaguars previously announced a plan in June for $63 million in EverBank Field renovations that would install gigantic video boards at the end zone sides of the stadium, seven LED board displays around the stadium, and a fan zone with swimming pools in the north end of the stadium.

But Brown did not say at the time how the city would pay its $43 million share of the cost. One option that has been considered is using a portion of the city's 6-cent hotel bed tax.

The city currently uses 2 cents of the bed tax to pay off debt associated with construction of the stadium and another 2 cents of the tax to pay for maintenance and upgrades of EverBank Field, the baseball park, and the arena.

The remaining 2 cents goes toward promoting tourism and would not be affected by the stadium renovation financing plan..

Rick Catlett, president and CEO of the Gator Bowl Association, joined Brown and Lamping at the Wednesday news conference

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/jaguars/2013-10-02/story/mayor-brown-and-jaguars-announce-plan-would-use-bed-tax#ixzz2gaKiHFq9

[Keith-N-Jax]

Team is being rebuilt no need to take cheap shots. How many games have you attended?

[Cheshire Cat]

Team is being rebuilt no need to take cheap shots. How many games have you attended?

Goodness Keith.  I was just joking.  Here is the smiley to prove it.    Wow folks a bit cranky the last couple of days.  Go Jags!

[thelakelander]

Hmm, this was the tax source that was mentioned as possibly funding a new convention center on the old courthouse site back during the Peyton administration.  So where are the backers of that project now?

[Cheshire Cat]

Hmm, this was the tax source that was mentioned as possibly funding a new convention center on the old courthouse site back during the Peyton administration.  So where are the backers of that project now?

That whole idea seems to have dried up like so many other big ideas.   Before I forget, Go Jags!   Oh and long live Khan.  Better Keith? 

On another note, what use was the bed tax funding originally slated for?  I think I remember some of it designated for the stadium but no where near what is currently being discussed.