Tony Bradburn, city finance committee
chairman at the November 9th meeting.
(Photo via Mason City public media)
At the November 9th Mason City council meeting, new tax ordinances were introduced in first readings. These taxes would increase admission prices in Mason by 3%, and increase parking taxes by 5%.
That means that your ticket price and parking fees next year will be increased..yes even more..for your Kings Island or Beach Waterpark visit. You can watch this council meeting online to see the first reading. Talk of the ordinances begins about a quarter of the way through.
Kenneth Schneider reads the proposed tax
at the city council meeting on November 9th.
(Photo via Mason City public media)
This attempt at a tax increase was made without the knowledge of Kings Island. Greg Scheid, vice president and general manager of Kings Island was surprised.
"The fact that it wasn't on the agenda and no one bothered to give us any heads-up that it was going to be discussed — I just felt like it was pretty low of the city to go that way.", Sheid commented to Dayton Daily News.
It turns out that this tax was added at the last minute to the November 9th meeting agenda. On the video, it's interesting to watch the Mayor dance around a question from Mason resident David Muche, who asks about late agenda additions, and the lack of these issues showing up on the agenda so that citizens can attend the meeting for discussion. When the Mayor tries to pussyfoot around this point, it becomes clear that the issue was added late at the Mayors request. You can take this as policy, but it appears to be a sly way of sneaking this first reading under the radar. I really recommend watching the meeting so that you can decide for yourself.
Kings Island notifies the public.
Photo courtesy BoddaH1994
When Perry Schwatrz comes to the podium to ask how much money they estimate will come in from the tax, this fun little exchange ensues:
Schwartz: "How much money does the city expect to raise by each of these two taxes annually?"
Mayor Grossman: "I don't know the answer to that question..."
Schwartz: "The Finance Committee surely knows."
Mayor Grossman: "I think that they have an idea..." (Looks repeatedly to Bradburn to pick this up.)
Schwartz: "What's the idea?" (Another shot of Grossman looking at Bradburn)
Bradburn: "If I may ask the Chair of Finance of Sandusky. Sandusky is the template of that. Roughly, uh, about 2 million dollars."
Council member Tony Bradburn is chairman of the city's finance committee, and a major factor in pushing the tax. He explains to Dayton Daily News, "There are expenses related to that number of people and I believe those people should help pay for it, rather than the citizens of Mason subsidizing their operation.". Bradburn failed to add that over the past two seasons, Kings Island has paid nearly $110,000 to cover the cost of Mason Police patrolling the park with no cost to the city of Mason.
Bradburn says the proposed tax will 'raise millions', but has failed in all media outlets to let us in on exactly how many millions he is talking about. His 2 million estimate claim at the council meeting doesn't seem sound enough to be fit for media release. Perhaps he hasn't yet conferred with the Sandusky Chair of Finance. Why is this ordinance in motion if they don't even have a plan yet?
To voice your opinion on being assessed an admissions and parking tax when you visit Kings Island, your attendance is needed. This short stop in Mason may save you cash for years to come.
This meeting is open to the public.
When: November 23, 7:00 pm
Where: Mason City Building located at 6000 Mason-Montgomery Road (Get Directions)
You can also contact the Mason council via phone and email: 513-229-8500 or via email at council@masonoh.org
Tax details:
Kings Island and The Beach will not be taxed in this issue. It is the customer who will be footing the bill. If the tax passes, a family of four can expect these kinds of increases at Kings Island in 2010:
- 4-pack of Regular Passes and One Parking Pass = $13.40 in additional taxes
- 4-pack of Platinum Passes = $19.20 in additional taxes
Photo courtesy of BoddaH1994
Those opposed to the tax offer the following points to present to the city:
Bad for the Entire Area - Warren County’s #1 industry is tourism. This tax will create a negative effect that will be felt by other businesses in the area. This tax will be especially damaging to area hotels, restaurants, and service stations.
Job Cuts and Future Investment - Fewer visitors will result in the elimination of full time and seasonal jobs at Kings Island and many other area attractions and businesses.
Terrible Timing - With so many people struggling in this economy, this idea couldn’t come at a worse time. Many families and companies are forced to make cuts to survive the current downturn. Why should the city of Mason be an exception?
Credibility Issue - A promise was made that an admissions tax would never be enacted when Kings Island was annexed into the city of Mason in 1997. What confidence can other business prospects have?
Kings Island Employees Pay City Taxes - Park employees have paid nearly $440,000 to the city of Mason in income tax over the past two seasons.
Kings Island Pays Police - Over the past two seasons, Kings Island has paid nearly $110,000 to cover the cost of Mason Police patrolling the park with no cost to the city of Mason.
Bad for Kings Island - A forced price increase of any kind will have a strong, negative effect on overall attendance and revenues and could prevent further expansion and development.
Far Less Traffic Now Than in 1997 - Kings Island entertains nearly 1 million less people each year than when it was annexed into the city of Mason. During that same period, the city of Mason has nearly tripled in size.
Recent quotes on the tax debate:
Tony Bradburn, Mason City Council Member / Cincinnati Enquirer - Nov 10, 2009
"They'll survive."
Tony Bradburn, Mason City Council Member / FOX 19.com - Nov 10, 2009
"We only need four votes to pass it."
Greg Scheid, Kings Island General Manager / Dayton Daily News - Nov 11, 2009
"It's really disappointing. Mason's slogan is 'Your business partner,' and I don't feel like they're being a very fair partner right now."
Northeast Cincinnati Chamber, Cincinnati Enquirer - Nov 12, 2009
“The economic impact on the area will be devastating, because even though visitors come for the attractions, they use many ancillary businesses while they are here. To consider such an “anti-business” proposition in today’s economic climate makes no sense.”
Kate Storch, The Beach Waterpark / Cincinnati Enquirer - Nov 10, 2009
"The idea that they would introduce a tax like that today is just really hard to fathom. It's not what the city of Mason needs. It's not what we need to maintain our viability here."
Ralph Vilarado, The Beach Waterpark / ONNtv.com - Nov 11, 2009
"Our attendance goes down and therefore as people come into the city of Mason, they don't just come visit us. They come visit all the other businesses. They support the hotel, they support the restaurants, the gas station"
Dave Moushey, Mason Resident / Dayton Daily News - Nov 11, 2009
"It's not the time to start taxing people. People are hurting enough right now."
More info: Dayton Daily News: Kings Island, chamber vow to fight admissions tax
What do you think?
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Comments
I hope that a lot of Mason residents get out there to share their opinions on this matter. There are two sides to every story.
Instead of cutting government and services we look for an easy fix for council. When less people visit the area because of the costs, then revenue goes down hurting businesses and providing much lower estimates on the expected tax gain. So then they look for another way to raise funds. Vicious circle.
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