Bloomberg Businessweek: The Braves Play Taxpayers Better Than They Play Baseball (Atlanta: layoffs, school)

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by cqholt

The State of Georgia tied Atlanta's hands in how the Hotel/Motel Tax could be spent, years before the new Falcons Stadium was publicly discussed. So in a way Blank and State did a backroom deal that restricted how the CoA could spend IT'S tax money, therefore forcing the new stadium funding.

It's not as if the City of Atlanta was against the idea either, especially since 1/3 of the tax revenue goes into the city's general fund.

[atler8]

Originally Posted by Gulch

More like shining a light on bull**** deals between jock-happy corrupt politicians and an organization that has an obsession with free public money.

I wish that I had said that.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by Gulch

It's not as if the City of Atlanta was against the idea either, especially since 1/3 of the tax revenue goes into the city's general fund.

Please quote your source on this claim.

[lehshead690]

It took Bloomberg, a disinterested 3rd party, to provide us details on how the Braves operate. The pattern of deception and manipulation of less sophisticated local municipalities is undeniable. With this story we now see that Mayor Reid was correct when he stated at the time the deal was announced that the negotiations were disingenuous. We now see that Cobb County is not ready for to negotiate or manage large deals.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Please quote your source on this claim.

From the MBS website:

Tax revenues collected by this tax are distributed as follows: 22.5% to the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau; 28.56% to the City of Atlanta General Fund; 39.3% to debt service for the Georgia Dome; and 9.64% to the Georgia World Congress Center.

So a little less than 1/3.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by Gulch

From the MBS website:



So a little less than 1/3.

Thank you for that data.

If it's a tax approved by the City Council, should the elected officials of the CoA not decide how it should be spent and not some Bubbas from South Georgia?

[fieldm]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

I agree.

As an increasingly urban county of more than 740,000 residents with an increasingly limited road network, there is a definite need for high-capacity transit service in a county as heavily-populated as Cobb.

As Cobb's electorate continues to grow, expand and diversify with moderate, progressive and minority voters from the ranks of the newcomers that continue to move into the county, Cobb's political climate will likely one day be amenable to the prospect of high-capacity transit (MARTA or otherwise) being expanded into the county from Atlanta and Fulton County.

At this point in time, it will probably be about 10 years or so (maybe roughly somewhere between 5-15 years) before a MARTA expansion referendum could be successful in Cobb County.

A traffic disaster brought about by the opening of the new Braves' stadium could potentially move up the timetable for high-capacity transit being expanded into the county, though probably not by way of an agency like MARTA.

Another thing that should probably be kept in mind in this discussion is how the performance of the team may affect the financials of this stadium deal.

If the Braves come out next on fire and compete throughout the season for the NL East division title or a postseason berth during their first season in the new stadium, the financials of this stadium deal will likely work out much better for all parties involves (particularly Cobb County government) than if the Braves struggle next year.

Much of how this stadium deal works out financially for Cobb County government will likely depend on how the Braves perform on the field.

After this year, the next Cobb Commission elections will not be until 2020, so Cobb County government may likely get a little bit of time for this deal to work out for them, particularly if Cobb Commission Chairman Tim Lee and the commissioners who voted for the stadium deal are re-elected in 2016.

This is how it see it. DeKalb will vote and pass their MARTA bill next year. Next will be Gwinnett, then North Fulton and then Cobb. Once N Fulton and/or Gwinnett votes on it Cobb will be next

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Thank you for that data.

If it's a tax approved by the City Council, should the elected officials of the CoA not decide how it should be spent and not some Bubbas from South Georgia?

They do, just only for that ~28%.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by fieldm

This is how it see it. DeKalb will vote and pass their MARTA bill next year. Next will be Gwinnett, then North Fulton and then Cobb. Once N Fulton and/or Gwinnett votes on it Cobb will be next

I don't get the feeling that it may necessarily be as simple as a vote for MARTA expansion being held and passing in North Fulton, Gwinnett and Cobb.

I get the feeling that the state possibly may have to intervene at some time in the next decade or so to bring high-capacity transit to those areas by way of a state transit agency like GRTA instead of a Fulton/DeKalb/Clayton-dominated transit agency like MARTA.

The traffic has gotten so bad (and continues to worsen so much) that it is getting very close to the point that the Northside areas of North Fulton, Gwinnett and Cobb are likely going to have very little choice but to accept high-capacity transit expansion into their historically transit-averse areas.....But those areas still don't quite seem to be at the point at which their electorates are fully ready to vote to approve MARTA expansion into their areas because they don't seem to want to share power with the urbanites who currently control and dominate MARTA.

North Fulton, Gwinnett and Cobb seem to only want high-capacity transit expansion into their areas from Atlanta if it is by way of a transit agency controlled and dominated by Northside Republicans....Like either by way of the existing GRTA Xpress or a Northside-dominated MARTA.

[jsvh]

For taxpayers, Braves put down bats, pick up screwdriver | www.ajc.com

A story published Wednesday about the Braves made it even easier to dislike the team.

No, it wasn’t that the gutted roster is absolutely unwatchable and positively the worst in baseball, a true example of an organization flipping off a city it’s leaving behind.

The story was from Bloomberg, the financial news service, headlined: “The Braves Play Taxpayers Better Than They Play Baseball.”

On Wednesday, the Braves gave up a grand slam to sink to a Major League-worst 4-17 record. Bloomberg writers, however, described how the team’s front office hit its own grand slam when it came to soaking taxpayers...