The Etowah County Mega Sports Complex Authority and the Etowah Tourist Office appear to be on track for disputes that have blocked validation of a link factor that would allow the authority to resume paintings on football fields at its Rainbow City site.
The sports authority on Friday approved a move calling on Rep. Gil Isbell, R-Gadsden, to introduce a local law to amend the law limiting the tourist accommodation tax at $491,000, giving profits beyond that amount to the ECMSCA.
The movement of the authority asks that the distribution be replenished so that the first $ 500,000 in accommodation taxes collected pass to the tourist office, passing 50% of the remaining budget to tourism and 50% to the sports authority.
The movement passed in the hope that the tourist office, also a Friday assembly, would adopt an accompanying movement.
The tourism board met later Friday morning with Zoom to discuss the authority’s counteroffer and temporarily entered an executive session, attorney Emily Mills said, to discuss the pending litigation.
After less than part an hour behind closed doors, the council met and legalized the resolution of the ongoing dispute as long as the parties agree that the revenue referred to as ceiling 491 will be committed to the obligations requested through the authority.
Attorney Jonathan Welch also told members of the sports authority that he had been informed that the Alabama Securities and Exchange Commission and public account examiners, agencies that had been asked to review the authority’s finances, had not uncovered any fraud and would take any action.
“We are absolved of this,” he said.
Etowah County Chief Circuit Judge William Ogletree, who gave interested parties the Monday deadline to resolve the issues, was notified, Welch said, and believed Sen. Andrew Jones, R-Center, had done so as well.
Jones filed a lawsuit in circuit court to stop a bail factor that would have refinanced existing debt and given the authority an additional budget for full paintings at the soccer complex in Rainbow City. The tourist joined his motion.
Sports authority member Craig Ford said Jones had been invited to a previous assembly if he withdrew his action if the authority received transparent reports on its finances, but he compromised.
He asked Jeff Overstreet, appointed through Jones in authority, if Jones would withdraw “his interference. “
Overstreet said he didn’t tell Jones and couldn’t speak for him.
Overstreet, who appointed through Jones to the authority and the tourism board, abstained on any of the votes. He is Jones’ father-in-law.
The sports authority’s president, Ralph Burke and Welch, said they met Kendall Hamilton and Hugh Stump of the tourist office, as well as their lawyer Mills, and that in about 20 minutes they were going to reach an agreement.
Welch said everyone in the assembly on the same page. “After everyone stopped insulting each other,” he said. It took about 20 minutes to reach an agreement and request an amendment to the law on the accommodation tax cap.
He said he hopes a proposal will be presented to Ogletree before Monday’s deadline.
“It’s a win-win situation,” Ford said. When we grow up and build what I call ‘head in bed’ (hotel traffic), they will get more accommodation taxes. “He said the “clean dollars” would also grow at the sports complex.
Sports authority member Roger Boatner said he would not oppose the change, but recalled an assembly about five years ago between representatives of the authority and the tourism board. He said he remembered “a confident person” whom he did not call denigrating authority. very painful,” he said.
“I didn’t realize why they were so passionately opposed to us,” Boatner said.
The limit at the time was set at $40,000 above the budget of the tourist office. “I think I’ve had a grudge since all of this,” Boatner said.
Ford said he agreed with Boatner. I said he supported the movement for children to just play soccer. He said Isbell was running in a smart religion with any of the forums and the city of Rainbow City to the situation.
Burke said he hoped the joint application would resolve issues that delayed bond issuance and left the allocation stalled.
In Jones’ move to interfere with bond validation, he said he is making plans to replace the tourism accommodation tax ceiling and restructure the board of directors, and announced bills to make those replacements.
He also accused the authority of embezzlement of cash and claimed that its executive committee had taken action with the wisdom of the entire board.
Contact Gadsden Times reporter Donna Thornton at 256-393-3284 or donna. thornton@gadsdentimes. com.
This article was originally published in The Gadsden Times: The sports authority and the Etowah tourism board agree to change the tax on accommodation