Vote NO to Life on Mars

There’s a TV show right now that is on Monday nights on Channel 8. It’s called “Life on Mars”. It’s about a guy who gets thrown back into 1972. He has to figure out why he is in this time period. The culture of that time period is whacked, but kind of the same. Mmmm, the “Build the Block” campaign. Does this remind anyone of the 1980’s? Does anyone feel like we are in 1980 all over again?

The big discussion back then was to build or not to build the Peoria Civic Center. How to fund the Civic Center, and would it make money? Huge debate ran rapid across the city, but eventually a “temporary” HRA Tax was adopted and the Civic Center was built. A little over 20 years later, we spend another 30 million in a remodel project, we still pay the HRA Tax, and the Civic Center operates at a loss. The temporary tax that Peorians paid to have the original Civic Center built, is still being passed on to tax payers. It brings in (according to budget) 1.8 million. Today, in 2009 after the general public pays 3 times to enter the Civic Center. (1) Gate Fee, (2) Parking Fee (3) Tax on Food & Beverage. (Of course Business and Vistors Pay more: add the Hotel Tax) The Civic Centers projected 2009 budget will be at a loss of 3.3 million dollars. The budget complains of “unexpected utility charges”, for some of the short fall. Really?

2009: We are deciding to “Build the Block”, and once again being asked to fork over tax dollars to do it. This was a drastic change to the original plan to have the whole thing built on private funds. This tax is only to build it. NOT to operate it.

The proposed one-quarter of 1 percent increase (1/4%) would equal 25 cents on every $100 spent on select purchases. The tax would be assessed only when residents and visitors dine at Peoria County restaurants, stay in Peoria County hotels or purchase non-titled, non-food retail goods. Groceries, prescriptions, property and titled goods, such as vehicles, would not be taxed.Web Site

Hey, it’s only going to be assessed when you visit all the chain restaurants in our town. Oppps good by small/individual restaurant person. The joke on you is: We still have non-titled, non-food retail goods. Groceries, prescriptions, property and titled goods, such as vehicles to tax later. Yippie!

The Build the Block idea might be good intentions or wishful thinking on steroids. Every project that YOU have paid for one way or another i.e parking fees, food & beverage tax, property tax, on the River Front has lost money. Wasn’t the HRA tax for the funding of the Civic Center only suppose to be temporary? Mmmm, feel like someone pulled the wool over your eyes on THAT one. Yea, it’s because they did. The wool will be pulled over your eyes again if you think this one-quarter of 1 percent is the cure for all. When operating expenses get out of hand, (and they will, they always do), utility rates skyrocket, fuel prices go up, or general inflation goes up. (and it will because the FED is printing money we don’t have), what is going to be the Museums future?

I can tell you. We will pay, pay, pay, and pay. You will pay to get in, you will pay to eat, you will pay to park, you will pay to higher property tax, food and beverage tax, higher municipality tax, oh, and your cell phone bill….TAX. We are all paying those now, but those will all be targeted when “unexpected operating costs” go up, and we will pay even more.

Someone once told me, “if you don’t have the money, don’t buy it”. Last time I remember our economy wasn’t so hot. The City and the County must have billions saved in the bank for the “unknowns” in our economy so the Tax Payers won’t have future tax levy’s on them. Really?

Vote NO to the Referendum. Take a stand to higher taxes. WE are living in uncertain economic times. We need the small business to flourish, and not close it’s doors. We need jobs, and stability in our Markets. Do WE really need to pay for a Museum?

By the way, when you google “Bettendorf Museum” only 125,000 people have ever googled that.