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Police are being cut back, libraries are being closed early--but the city of Escondido is being asked to spend $45 million of tax dollars to build a baseball stadium.
"Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler said the city's motive for spending so much money without any immediate revenue in return would be spurring development of a large district of shops, restaurants and condominiums near the ballpark, which would be built on mostly vacant city land between Washington Avenue and the Sprinter rail line.
"A ballpark would be a cool anchor that changes the way people feel about that area," said Pfeiler, predicting the ballpark would attract many millions of dollars in private development to the industrial zone south of Highway 78 and east of Interstate 15. "This is the quickest way to get what we want to happen there."
The City Council discussed the team's proposal during a session closed to the public last week, and decided to move forward with exploring how to obtain the necessary money, officials said."
those on the City Council supporting this need to resign quickly. In the middle of a Depression, people losing their homes, the idea of spending tax dollars for a private firm (the baseball team) it is either a bad joke or sick. Either way, this is why government has too much money and does not need tax increases--if they have enough money for a stadium, they have to run the city and give a tax cut.
This is silly season in government.
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"Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler said the city's motive for spending so much money without any immediate revenue in return would be spurring development of a large district of shops, restaurants and condominiums near the ballpark, which would be built on mostly vacant city land between Washington Avenue and the Sprinter rail line.
"A ballpark would be a cool anchor that changes the way people feel about that area," said Pfeiler, predicting the ballpark would attract many millions of dollars in private development to the industrial zone south of Highway 78 and east of Interstate 15. "This is the quickest way to get what we want to happen there."
The City Council discussed the team's proposal during a session closed to the public last week, and decided to move forward with exploring how to obtain the necessary money, officials said."
those on the City Council supporting this need to resign quickly. In the middle of a Depression, people losing their homes, the idea of spending tax dollars for a private firm (the baseball team) it is either a bad joke or sick. Either way, this is why government has too much money and does not need tax increases--if they have enough money for a stadium, they have to run the city and give a tax cut.
This is silly season in government.
More...