Kings Island admissions tax rejected by Mason City Council
Posted
Mason's efforts to get a ticket and parking tax passed failed Monday, wilting before the opposition of a large crowd that flowed out of City Council's chambers. Business leaders, elected officials and residents lobbed salvo after salvo at council's seven members, who had before them separate ordinances that would have enacted a 3 percent admissions tax and a 5 percent parking tax intended to be used to pay for services used by Kings Island and other attractions.
Read more from The Enquirer and The Dayton Daily News.
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I'm not saying that Mason doesn't have a legitimate beef about needing the money...but...this is not the time to be instituting a new tax on business. And, given the fact that promises were made to the contrary just a dozen years ago the Council would have looked pretty foolish if they would have supported this.
Good work by King's Island and the various players.
The argument was that a tax would lead to a decrease in attendance. Now that they've won this battle, I can't wait to see how Kings Island defends their next ticket price increase. :)
Walt Schmidt - Co-Publisher, PointBuzz
When KI was incorporated into Mason. It was in the agreement there were to be no admission taxes added. EVER. Their attempt to do so is more Egg on the Cities face than anything.
Meanwhile back at the ranch. Mason refuses to cut any spending, freeze payrolls or anything of the like. Keep planting million dollar flower beds in roadways ect.
From what I heard, Bradburn actually did a PowerPoint on why that agreement didn't have to be honored because it wasn't in writing.
Bradburn had about a 15 page Powerpoint about how they didn't have to honor the agreement. It was really all rhetoric. He also made some points about how Kings Island is doing SO well, citing such generalizations as Amusement Today.
Greg Scheid, Kings Island's Vice President and General Manager, did a fantastic Powerpoint presentation about Kings Island's contribution to the community as well as comparing the vehicle traffic to other local businesses. He also offered to help cover the cost of having Mason Police vehicles on park property.
Everyone did a great job!!!
Media Director
KICentral.com
Unless there's a written agreement, "I promise" wouldn't be good enough anyway. Regardless, not imposing this kind of tax is the right thing to do.
Jeff - Editor - CoasterBuzz.com - My Blog
That's the thing - it wasn't a matter or legality, it was a matter of integrity.
Media Director
KICentral.com
It's not even that. The people holding office weren't likely around when the park opened. You can't hold them to some spoken agreement made decades ago.
Jeff - Editor - CoasterBuzz.com - My Blog
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