The City of Crossville said they were interested in partnering with the county on funding and operation of the proposed expo center but the funding of bond payments through a restaurant privilege tax appears questionable for now.
Crossville city councilman J. H. Graham, left, expresses support
for partnering with the County on the Expo Center as other
members listen, including Danny Wyatt,
Mayor James Mayberry, Pamala Harris, and Scot Shanks.
Crossville Mayor recapped briefly what the council learned at the recent work session and moved to provide the county with a letter of support for the concept of the proposed expo center and the potential for increased tourism, sales tax revenue and opportunities for our citizens. Council member Pamala Harris quickly supported the motion.
Mayberry said his motion was not about funding, only about the concept. Mayberry asked city attorney Will Ridley to explain what he had researched about a food and beverage tax.
Ridley explained that currently the way the law was written it appears to only work for Sevier County in the state as the law required that a municipality located in a county considered a “tourist resort district and have a municipal airport, which we have; a helicopter touring facility which I'm sure we could get; and the hard part is getting the Great Smoky Mountains here.”
Currently, a restaurant privilege tax is collected in Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg only.
Based on the law at the current time, Ridley said his opinion is that "Crossville could not charge a food and beverage tax now. That is not to say that the county of the city or any other individual couldn't petition the legislature to change the law.” Ridley pointed out the Bristol Tennessee had tried to get the law changed using Bristol Motor Speedway as their tourist attraction but they haven't made much headway.
Councilman J. H. Graham stated he wanted to go on record in support of the expo center and added he'd like to see the city and county work together on a 50/50 basis. Graham added that he would support not only splitting the cost of construction but also the cost of operation of such a facility.
Mayberry reminded the council that the motion on the floor was simply a letter in support of the concept and not yet a commitment of funding.
Mayberry's motion was approved unanimously.
Before moving to the next item on the agenda, Councilman Danny Wyatt said he'd like to make another motion adding that he felt the same as Mr. Graham. Mr. Wyatt made a motion to let the county know that the city was interested in partnering with them. Mr. Graham supported the motion by Mr. Wyatt.
Discussion between Ms. Harris and Mr. Wyatt included Wyatt's comment that the larger expense would be the ongoing operation rather than the initial construction cost. Mayor Mayberry commentated that the city had a number of large expenditures that the council had been talking about for quite some time that he felt should enter into the discussion. Mayberry added that he was not yet ready to enter into a partnership without more information.
The motion on the partnership was approved with three aye votes from Graham, Wyatt and Harris. Mr. Mayberry and Scot Shanks voted no.
