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It's hard to blame the team, however. They've been trying to get something going downtown for years, but the city got all wrapped in the Falcons. C'est la vie.
The city lead because the state did not want to look like the bad guy. GWCC is a state agency.
Why does this whole process feel so rushed, as if the Commission wants to stay two steps ahead of the Vox Populi?
Well, I think your making a bad assumption. You're assuming that the "Vox Popili" would be and is against the plan. That's not the case, at least among my neighbors and people I interact with in Cobb. Also, there is a very tight time limit on this project. It needs to be 100% complete in 3 years. Not much time to waste.
If you mean the opinions of those outside Cobb, I don't think the Commission really cares or should care all that much.
There is some concern that the plan may change and that the taxpayers could get screwed by unintended consequences, but the general sense I get is that most people approve based on the information being presented. There will be no property tax increase, except for the Cumberland CID. The hotel/motel tax and car rental tax will be paid mainly by non-residents. The increased sales tax directly from the Braves operations and bleed over businesses will be paid by all, and the cost to attend a game for a Cobb resident should stay the same or decrease.
I am not one to want to pay increased taxes or to subsidize a business with tax dollars, so at first I had to think long and hard about what was being proposed. For me, as long as funds are not diverted from other budget items to be siphoned off to the Braves, then I'm OK with it. What would not be OK is if the promises and plans are not correct or do not get implemented as promised and planned. Then I think the Commission and Chairman Lee will have a huge problem.
What would not be OK is if the promises and plans are not correct I'll wager $100 they aren't. Any takers? or do not get implemented as promised and planned. I'll wager $100 they won't. Any takers? Then I think the Commission and Chairman Lee will have a huge problem.
Well, I think your making a bad assumption. You're assuming that the "Vox Popili" would be and is against the plan. That's not the case, at least among my neighbors and people I interact with in Cobb. Also, there is a very tight time limit on this project. It needs to be 100% complete in 3 years. Not much time to waste.
Polls say only ~30% of Cobb residents approve of approve of the tax-payer funded stadium. 80%+, across party lines say that they should take more time. The proposed 14 day delay in the vote seemed more than reasonable to me. But they know that would lead to more time to mobilize against it, hence the back-room rushed deal.
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Originally Posted by neil0311
I am not one to want to pay increased taxes or to subsidize a business with tax dollars, so at first I had to think long and hard about what was being proposed. For me, as long as funds are not diverted from other budget items to be siphoned off to the Braves, then I'm OK with it.
The largest single source of funding is "existing" Cobb county property taxes. That money does not appear out of the air.
But as a city of Atlanta resident I am fine with this deal. Many of those that are coming from out of town to Braves games are going to be renting cars and staying in hotels in the city of Atlanta. So I think this works out good for the city, especially when you compare it to what the Braves were demanding. So Atlanta gets economic benefits without any added taxes. Something the suburbs have been doing for decades.
Well, I think your making a bad assumption. You're assuming that the "Vox Popili" would be and is against the plan. That's not the case, at least among my neighbors and people I interact with in Cobb
I'm sure up in Marietta, everyone is pleased.
Ask us in Smyrna - you know the people that have to live with this train wreck.
It's not rushed because of timelines. It's rushed because it stinks and the faster they ram it past us, the better for them.
Polls say only ~30% of Cobb residents approve of approve of the tax-payer funded stadium. 80%+, across party lines say that they should take more time. The proposed 14 day delay in the vote seemed more than reasonable to me. But they know that would lead to more time to mobilize against it, hence the back-room rushed deal.
In fairness, I don't think enough polling has been done to be sure what the consensus really is. My neighbors are excited.
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The largest single source of funding is "existing" Cobb county property taxes. That money does not appear out of the air.
The existing .33 mills were allocated to parkland bonds that will be paid off in 2017/2018. So, in theory, Cobb residents would receive a very modest decrease in property taxes (~$50/year on a $200,000 home) in the absence of this deal. In reality, they'd probably have found something else to spend it on, and that something likely wouldn't involve a billion dollars in new development.
That development will substantially expand the property tax base, which will increase funding for Cobb County schools (a completely different tax bucket than the one the commission manages), and also drive incremental sales tax revenue of which Cobb County schools get a piece.
Ask us in Smyrna - you know the people that have to live with this train wreck.
I live in Smyrna, a little over three miles from the site. Everyone I've spoken to in my neighborhood is excited about the deal. That doesn't mean there aren't concerns, but there is support.
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