Monday, September 15, 2008

Washington State Senate Bill 6638

Senate Bill 6638 went into effect on July 1, 2008. This bill set a framework around the funding sources, and the types of things the funds could be used for. This restricts the spending to agracultural, arts and heritage, and in counties with a population greater than one million - sports stadiums. The "lodging" tax that had an end date no longer has an end date. A great deal of the general scoping and limiting has been done.

What it looks like to me is that the Washington State Task Force is going to have to play match maker between descrete sources and revenues with more specific requests for those funds. At this point, I think Seattle Center's Key Arena has a better shot at slicing off a sliver of the Washington State Convention Center tax collected in Seattle, than does the University of Washington's attempt at the stadium tax collected in King County and currently paying off Safeco and of Qwest.

The Senate Bill keeps refering to "Arts and Heritage", maybe those that want Key Arena remodel to happen and another run at having a teamed the Sonics might want to have the NBA opening day "rally" at the real current home of the Sonics at the Seattle Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI).

That is where our Art and Heritage went, not Oklahoma City.

"It's my ballet" (did Mike Seely say that?)


http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2007-08/Pdf/Bills/Session%20Law%202008/6638.SL.pdf


Have a great day,
Mr Baker

Sent from my iPhone

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Another great post. It's getting pretty heated over at SC. Clint either needs to get back on his meds or be grounded. It's hard to tell if he's just immature or mentally challenged.

Mr Baker said...

Clint, anybody, thinking that the settlement was all Greg "liberal" Nickels has not been paying attention.
The only reason this blog exists is that Steve Ballmer stepped up to pay for the sports effected portion of Key Arena, buy a new team, and tell Greg "liberal" Nickels that letting Bennett leave with the Sonics would increase his chances to land another team sooner and solve the problem long-term.
McGavic, Walker, Ballmer, Gordon, I guess Ballmer is the "liberal" of that group.
There is a long term solution, like it or not, and the dude with the money is calling the shots, surprise!

Anonymous said...

Have you read David Brewster's article in Crosscut yet? The last paragraph gave me agita.

Mr Baker said...

I was stuck in a meeting.