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Cleo Fields amends bill to give Bayou Classic "Super Bowl" status
http://www.theadvocate.com/news/story.asp?StoryID=29080
A bill to pledge New Orleans hotel taxes to two professional sports teams underwent some minor surgery in the Senate Monday in an effort to keep the Bayou Classic football game in Louisiana.
The Senate voted to put the Bayou Classic in the same class as the Super Bowl, the NCAA Final Four, national political conventions and World Cup Soccer when it comes to qualifying for surplus hotel tax money.
There's not likely to be any surplus in the next few years because of the governor's promises to the NFL's Saints and NBA's Hornets. But the change could eventually pay dividends for the annual Thanksgiving-week clash between Southern and Grambling State universities.
Sen. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, noted that the Bayou Classic has received offers from Houston and other cities to move the Louisiana rivalry out of state.
Fields said Houston is offering to give the Bayou Classic a better deal than the Superdome.
"These schools are spending like $400,000 to lease this facility (the Superdome), and the impact on the state is over $50 million for that weekend," said Fields, D-Baton Rouge.
By contrast, Fields noted that Tulane University pays little or nothing to use the Superdome, Fields said. And he noted that the state helps the Sugar Bowl with $1 million a year.
In a telephone interview Monday, Southern University System Vice President Ralph Slaughter said the $400,000 includes the lease of the Superdome as well as related costs such as security, traffic police and cleanup.
In an attempt help fund the Bayou Classic, Fields made some change to Senate Bill 106 by Sen. Jay Dardenne, R-Baton Rouge, that sought to reprioritize the spending of the 4-percent hotel tax in the Superdome Commission's operating budget.
Dardenne's bill would pledge part of the Superdome Commission's budget to meet the state's promised aid to the Saints and Hornets, which is expected to range from $26 million to $38 million a year over the next decade. Other revenues, such as naming rights for the Superdome, will also be available for the two pro teams.
If the Superdome Commission has any surplus hotel tax money left over, Dardenne's bill would allow the extra funds to be used for promoting, marketing and subsidizing of major New Orleans sports events such as the Super Bowl and the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament.
Fields changed the bill to add the Bayou Classic to that prestigious group.
In the past, surplus money has gone to the New Orleans Visitors and Information Center, the New Orleans Recreation Department, several area colleges and local organizations.
With the commitments to the Hornets and Saints, Dardenne said there isn't likely to be a surplus in the next few years.
"I think, as a practical matter, it's very unlikely that the Bayou Classic would ever get funded by this amendment because I think the money is going to get eaten up by the Saints and the Hornets, certainly in the first couple of years," Dardenne said.
The 4-percent hotel tax figures to generated $33.6 million last year, and projections call for it to grow by 3 percent to 5 percent a year.
Dardenne's amended bill passed by a 32-0 vote and now goes to the House for consideration.
http://www.theadvocate.com/news/story.asp?StoryID=29080
A bill to pledge New Orleans hotel taxes to two professional sports teams underwent some minor surgery in the Senate Monday in an effort to keep the Bayou Classic football game in Louisiana.
The Senate voted to put the Bayou Classic in the same class as the Super Bowl, the NCAA Final Four, national political conventions and World Cup Soccer when it comes to qualifying for surplus hotel tax money.
There's not likely to be any surplus in the next few years because of the governor's promises to the NFL's Saints and NBA's Hornets. But the change could eventually pay dividends for the annual Thanksgiving-week clash between Southern and Grambling State universities.
Sen. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, noted that the Bayou Classic has received offers from Houston and other cities to move the Louisiana rivalry out of state.
Fields said Houston is offering to give the Bayou Classic a better deal than the Superdome.
"These schools are spending like $400,000 to lease this facility (the Superdome), and the impact on the state is over $50 million for that weekend," said Fields, D-Baton Rouge.
By contrast, Fields noted that Tulane University pays little or nothing to use the Superdome, Fields said. And he noted that the state helps the Sugar Bowl with $1 million a year.
In a telephone interview Monday, Southern University System Vice President Ralph Slaughter said the $400,000 includes the lease of the Superdome as well as related costs such as security, traffic police and cleanup.
In an attempt help fund the Bayou Classic, Fields made some change to Senate Bill 106 by Sen. Jay Dardenne, R-Baton Rouge, that sought to reprioritize the spending of the 4-percent hotel tax in the Superdome Commission's operating budget.
Dardenne's bill would pledge part of the Superdome Commission's budget to meet the state's promised aid to the Saints and Hornets, which is expected to range from $26 million to $38 million a year over the next decade. Other revenues, such as naming rights for the Superdome, will also be available for the two pro teams.
If the Superdome Commission has any surplus hotel tax money left over, Dardenne's bill would allow the extra funds to be used for promoting, marketing and subsidizing of major New Orleans sports events such as the Super Bowl and the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament.
Fields changed the bill to add the Bayou Classic to that prestigious group.
In the past, surplus money has gone to the New Orleans Visitors and Information Center, the New Orleans Recreation Department, several area colleges and local organizations.
With the commitments to the Hornets and Saints, Dardenne said there isn't likely to be a surplus in the next few years.
"I think, as a practical matter, it's very unlikely that the Bayou Classic would ever get funded by this amendment because I think the money is going to get eaten up by the Saints and the Hornets, certainly in the first couple of years," Dardenne said.
The 4-percent hotel tax figures to generated $33.6 million last year, and projections call for it to grow by 3 percent to 5 percent a year.
Dardenne's amended bill passed by a 32-0 vote and now goes to the House for consideration.
