Is eatery-tax bill revenge?
SB64, which would divert the county's portion of the restaurant tax to suburban cities, passed out of the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee on a 5-3 vote. It will be debated on the Senate floor.
County officials believe SB64 is revenge for Mayor Peter Corroon's recent decision not to fund a soccer stadium in Sandy for Real Salt Lake. But a lobbyist representing two of the cities that would get the funding claims Corroon and his staff are rumored to be threatening to yank funding from a baseball complex in Taylorsville if the bill ultimately passes. Taylorsville Mayor Russ Wall has actively supported the bill.
The lobbyist, who requested anonymity, said he called Salt Lake County District Attorney Lohra Miller, a Republican, to investigate possible unethical behavior on the part of Corroon and his staff. A spokeswoman for Miller said Wednesday that no official complaint has been filed.
But Corroon has warned for months that if SB64 passes, the county might have to close down some recreational and cultural facilities, because the bill will take a significant chunk of revenue used to operate those facilities. The bill, however, does include $2.75 million for the operations and maintenance of county facilities built before April 2007.
The mayor also said that $65 million worth of Zoo, Arts and Parks tax-funded recreation projects that voters approved in November might not be built as a result of the bill. The bill does not allow restaurant-tax revenue to pay for the costs for new facilities.
Taylorsville Mayor Wall said Wednesday that he has heard "rumblings" of threats to take funding from his city's baseball complex but that he would be "shocked" if Corroon were to take that approach. "I believe that Peter Corroon is a man of integrity," he said.
For the bill's sponsor, Sen. Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, it's an issue of fairness. He says the county gives too much money to Salt Lake City for tourism, arts and recreational facilities — ultimately hanging the suburbs out to dry.
Either way, it still doesn't sound right to Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper.
He said the Legislature should let the county continue to collect the restaurant tax to build things of regional significance — like parks and cultural arts facilities.
"They are serving the people in a regional way, which I think makes sure we don't have little fiefdoms with these little pots of money," Stephenson said.
Waddoups insists the county plays favorites and does not fairly distribute the restaurant-tax revenue.
"The county is a little fiefdom passing around pots of money to curry favor with cities," Waddoups said.
"That's just not true," Corroon countered.
Killing the bill is Corroon's top priority.
"It's an ugly monster with many hea
ds and we're trying to kill it as soon as we can and as fast as we can," Corroon said.
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