It is my opinion that the timing, funding mechanism and ethics surrounding new taxes and new arena are reason enough to vote “NO” this coming Tuesday, Nov. 7.
Two years ago, I wrote a column encouraging citizens to vote against the new arena. I received more positive feedback on that column than anything I have written since. On the flip side, my column speaking against the same arena on Oct 19 received more negative feedback than anything I have ever written. What changed?
Outside of the funding mechanism, not much has changed. One thing that is clear is that the marketing and promotional efforts of the local government have upped their game this go around.
Local governments are not authorized to launch advertising campaigns to influence votes and are barred from using government funds to promote a referendum according to the Georgia State Constitution Art IX, Section IV Paragraph II as well as a previous Supreme Court ruling. Yet Augusta-Richmond County and the Coliseum Authority have done just that.
If the Coliseum Authority and local government are willing to blatantly, unethically and unapologetically violate state law in an effort to shove new taxes down our throats, why should we trust that they will manage half a billion dollars dutifully?
One heck of a carpool
One question that has been asked repeatedly, with no answer, is where people will park when they visit the new arena. As of now, the plan calls for 1,200 parking spots for an arena that seats 10,500 people. That averages out to 8.75 people per parking space. My wife and I have six kids, and we can’t even fit that many bodies in our vehicle.
The truth is that the group behind the new arena know there isn’t enough parking, and they know additional funding will be needed to build multiple parking decks. Parking decks and their funding are controversial in Augusta. If parking decks were part of this new tax package the measure would die quickly. Knowing this the decks were left out to be funded later.
At some point the city will have to build additional parking decks which will be paid for with new taxes. When the time comes it will be too late to say no and the Coliseum Authority knows it. Instead, they will say we are vested and too far down the path to adjust the plan.
The parking feasibility plan shows an additional 3,500 parking spaces downtown that could be utilized. One funny thing about the plan is that my parking lot is on the map. Should I assume that somehow my parking will be used to fulfill the need? Nobody asked me if they could use my parking lot. Perhaps I can lease the parking to cover the increase in my property taxes that is coming.
I can see it now; all taxpayers will get a plastic straw with their tax bills with a little memo that says, “suck it up.” When those pushing this arena say it will be strictly paid for with sales tax, they are being disingenuous.
Don’t forget about operational costs, construction cost overruns, higher costs due to mismanagement, infrastructure improvements in the area, new payroll and much more. These items will be paid for by the property owners of Richmond County not those in surrounding counties that allegedly will be paying for the arena through sales tax.
It sounds like annual tax bills will have to include little plastic straws for many years to come.
How much is extra security going to cost for the new arena? I attempted to include a crime map with a one-mile radius of the arena with historic info going back to Jan. 1, 2023. The map was so congested you couldn’t even see the roads, so I left it out. Crime in the area around the proposed arena is so bad that words and statistics can’t even describe it.
The Ugly Unpopular Truth
What I don’t understand is the anger towards those who are in the “vote no” column. Is it so hard to understand that half a billion dollars could be put to better use?
Many people I have a lot of respect for have reached out, encouraging me to change my opinion or at least shut up about how I feel. Most of them stand to gain something from the arena. Some stand to have their business increase due to increased downtown traffic, some hope their property values will go up, some just want to be able to tell their constituents they got a win while they were in office and some stand to directly make a lot of money.
None of these reasons are strong enough to warrant the open hostility and ugliness I have received the last two weeks. I own lots of property downtown that could increase in value from the new arena, but I also understand that my taxes are going to go up if the measure passes. The tradeoff is not worth it to me from a dollars and cents viewpoint.
An Ugly Rumor
One nasty rumor was brought to my attention from one camp in favor of the arena. The rumor proposed that the only reason a downtown business owner (me specifically) would vocally be opposed to the arena was if I stood to gain something from its failure.
Specifically, it was proposed that my goal was to kill the arena in Richmond County so that it would be built in Columbia County. The rumor went even further to say that I owned land in Columbia County that was going to be the site of the new arena.
After I stopped laughing, I instructed the person that not only was it not true it was laughable. It is true that I own property in Columbia County, however, I do NOT own any vacant land.
It is always interesting how rumors get started and morph into crazy conspiracy theories.
The truth is that I am against the new taxes and arena simply because I believe it is ethically unsound to spend half a billion dollars on a vanity quality of life project when the city around us is crumbling and we can’t even manage to keep the grass cut.
As I stated in my article two years ago you could solve the homeless issue, crime problem, storm water issues, keep the grass cut, potholes and still have a pile of cash left over or you can have a shiny new arena. The only thing the money won’t fix is the school system.
Is your daily life going to be better with a new arena? Will people want to start moving to Richmond County if there is a new arena? Or are peoples live going to be improved by lower crime, better infrastructure, and lower taxes? I would prefer for my family and I to live in a city with no arena that is safe and clean than that has a Taylor Swift show every five years.
