Herald-Times Reports Food and Beverage Tax to Fund Convention CenterExpansion in Bloomington Debated

From the Bloomington Herald-Times:

By the time a vote is taken, more than half of the Monroe County Council’s year will have been spent on the proposed 1 percent food and beverage tax.
         
A 1 percent food and beverage tax may be implemented by the council to fund a convention center, conference center or other tourism-related activity, according to 2009 legislation. The legislation failed to garner much support immediately following its passage.
 The council started discussions in February, introduced by council president Geoff McKim, as a funding source for a possible expansion of the Bloomington/Monroe County Convention Center on South College Avenue.

The council will take a vote on the legislation Sept. 10.
 

Some members of the public have said the process feels rushed, and that opponents have not been presented with the same opportunity to speak as supporters of the tax.
 

McKim said he feels that by September, after eight months of discussion, it will be time to take a vote.
 

“There’s always going to be some other argument,” he said. “I think the majority of the council members are ready to take a vote.”
 

Of the county council members, Ryan Langley and McKim have both indicated support for the convention center expansion, though McKim has not said whether he will vote for the tax. Marty Hawk has said she will vote against the tax, but supports a convention center expansion, and Lee Jones has said she’s unsure the food and beverage is the best option for expansion.
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See the full article here:

http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/news/local/food-and-beverage-tax-to-fund-convention-center-expansion-debated/article_91bf7afc-fe1f-54d5-b39c-444925ff7fe6.html