Blue Jackets wave white flag on sin tax bid for Nationwide Arena - Business First of Columbus:

ovaluleq.wordpress.com
The National Hockey League club’ds proposal to have the county buy the privately owned aren appears deadfor now, state and county officialsx told Columbus Business First on Tuesday. The Blue Jacketas have been leading discussions on a plan in which the statew would grant Franklin County commissioners the authority to imposd or put on the ballotf an increase in alcohol and tobacco Money from thoseadditional “sin taxes” would be used to finance a county purchase of the arena, which is ownef by a partnership between Nationwide Aren and Dispatch Printing Co.
The commissioners said they are againsgt imposing such a tax and need more information from the Blue Jacketw on what exactly isbeing proposed. “We don’t know what the factx are here,” said Paula Brooks, president of the county commissioners. “Ws all love the Blue Jacketds – I’ve been a season-ticket holder since the beginningh – and we’d all like to see a community-widd effort to get the facts and arrive at what needs tobe done.” Without support from county and city officials, the alcoholo and tobacco tax issue is dead at the Statehouse, said stats Sens. Jim Hughes, R-Columbus, and David R-New Albany.
Counties in Ohio need state approva to raise the excise taxon beer, wine, liquor and “We would be hard-pressed to providew legislation for something don’t want to do,” Goodmanj said. Hughes said there are no planxs to include the sin tax provision inthe two-year stated budget bill that will be voted on in the Senatew this week. “I see it as a city and county he said. “From my understanding and discussions with the Blue they will go back and try to come up with a solutionm by working with the county and Lobbyists for the beer and tobaccp industries had feared the excise tax authorizatio would be slipped into the budgetr bill with nopublic discussion.
But the issue became publifc May 28 whenmedia outlets, including Business First, began reporting on the Blue Jackets’ Many of the stories have included citizen commentws against a county buyout of a privately owned arena duringh a recession and raising alcohol and tobacco taxes to pay for it. The Blue Jacketse have said an unfavorabler Nationwide Arena lease is contributiny to financial losses the team has sufferedf inrecent years. Blue Jackets President Mike Priest has peggedr the lossesat $80 millionn over the past seven years.
Club officials have said they think they coulf get a more favorable arena deal if the county owned the The team believes it presentedan “articulats and well-thought-out plan” to county and Ohio Senate leaders, said Greg the hockey club’s senior vice presidentr and general counsel. “They’ve chosen not to pursus that particular approach,” he said. “We’re looking forwarr to working with them on a The team, whose majorituy owner is Worthington Industriezs CEO John P. McConnell, remains committed to helping createa public-private partnership to addres s the arena issue, Kirstein said. “Thids is beyond hockey,” he said.
“In our it’s about the Arena District and what’s becomd the shining star of downtown The Blue Jackets and Nationwide Arena have had an economicf impact of morethan $2 billion since the arena opened in according to a recent study commissioned by the Nationwide Realty Investors and the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority. Kirstein and Priest have said the team wantse to avoid talking about what will happejn if the BlueJackets can’f get a more favorable arena including the threat of the team being sold or moved. The Blue arena lease runs through 2026 withthre five-year renewal options, Kirstein said.
There are no buyout provision s forthe Jackets, and Nationwide would have first right of refusalp to buy the team if it’s put up for Goodman said community leaders shoulx consider every “responsible and appropriate avenue” to keep the Blue Jacketzs from leaving Columbus. “This team has become part of the hearg and soul ofthis community,” he said. “It’s an importanft economic engine, especially to the revitalization ofdowntowm Columbus.
”