Nebraska developer has announcement for Council Bluffs regarding new park

Posted | Contributed by Jeff

An announcement will be made Friday in Nebraska on plans to build an amusement park that was once considered for Council Bluffs. Developer Steve Minard said a press conference will be held Friday afternoon. Council Bluffs City Attorney Dick Wade said that the amusement park development deal with Minard has been dead since the termination of the development agreement with the City Council.

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I was dissapointed, but not surprised the Council Bluffs park never went through. The idea of a park in Nebraska is a good one, and I'd love to see this park actually happen, but with any multimillion dollar investment in a park or whatever, its a "don't hold your breath" kind of thing. Surely with good investors, and maybe a little help from the city and state, it could happen, but it depends on how willing people are to work with this guy and his dream of an amusement park. The sales tax law could help this project out, but we shall see a few months from now what the verdict is.

"Wade said that the tool would be an excellent way to lure retail companies to the state, but he pointed out that the state would suffer from the loss of those sales tax funds."

How does the state suffer from giving initial tax breaks to new businesses? These "sales tax funds" do not exist at all without a business (in this case an amusement park)in the first place. I don't get it. What am I missing?

http://www.theomahachannel.com/entertainment/4362181/detail.html I submitted the link to the news, but his inital plan calls for 3 outdoor and 2 indoor coasters. Right now the guy would be described as a dreamer at best, and I will believe his fiances when I see them after the whole Council Bluff's fiasco.

Jeffrey don't forget that an amusement park will draw a lot more traffic and therefore a lot more wear and tear on the roads in the area. It costs money to repair and possibly upgrade those roads. That is money that neither the city or state governments are currently spending.

However, in the long run, it would provide a lot of revenue that the governments are not collecting right now. It would also cause a number of other businesses like hotels and restaurants to pop up too, and they might be able to provide that revenue if they are not provided the same tax abatements.

They have all kinds of room to build the largest chain lift on the planet on all that farmland!

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