I can find no verification of this rumor that was recently brought to my attention:
Just talked to a relative that is on a local developement [sic] company that helped push for the museum. He told me that there will be something coming through the pipeline that will change the wording on the tax bill they passed to pay for this museum. He said it will include a scheduled increase in the tax rate for the museum in years 1-8 of operations. They are now projecting a loss when they open up. Really. He also said that the wording will be changed allowing the tax rate to go up in the future without a vote. The problem with this is that it will only have to be approved through the city counsil [sic] and not by vote. So the vote probably will happen without hearing a word about it.
Whether or not this specific allegation is true, there’s no doubt that the museum will be sucking more money from the taxpayers one way or another. You can count on it. As Thomas Andrews said to White Star Line managing director Ismay about whether the Titanic would sink, “It is a mathematical certainty.”
Would this be a city or county increase? County voters approved the sales tax but the city has home-rule.
One — The details don’t make much sense to me, either. The only thing that really rings true for me is the idea that they’re looking for new ways to get more tax money. That I can believe.
Never under……..estimate the ability of legislators to access taxpayer dollars …
Karrie….Amen
This may be true or it may not be true…but the person who posted that has no real credibility. I would take this with a giant grain of salt.
The captain of the Titanic was John Smith.
Well, it was Edward John Smith, but you’re right that it wasn’t Ismay. My mistake. I’ve corrected it above.
I’m buying a new/bigger house soon and this just clinches it. Woodford County, here I come.
I was believing this idea up until it mentioned it would have to be passed by the ‘city council’. BUZZZ! Because the museum is a COUNTY project, this idea would have to passed by the COUNTY board.
So I believe this to be a rumor, unless the originator got the County Board mixed up with the City Council.
But Dennis or anyone for that matter…..Would you put this past the County Board? Those people know how to spend taxpayer money better than and quicker than anyone.
You can be sure that the former Mayor, the CAT man spoksperson and Jim Richerson know full well, that without the IMAX brand name to draw folks to their boondoggle, they’ll be losing money from year one and are dreaming up schemes to try and latch onto additional income possibilities.
However, I would bet that the majority of members on the County Board, recognizing the very, very slim margin by which the sales tax increase was passed, and recognizing the general public’s overwhelming feeling of betrayal by the museum planners regarding the IMAX issue, would never put themselves at political risk by providing any additional County taxpayer dollars to support the museum. I’m sure there would be lots of folks who would join CJ, Merle, and Karrie to campaign against any Board member who might support something like what was described here.
God forbid we might bring a little culture to our city’s pathetic downtown scene! I’m with you guys on a lot of things on this blog, but you’re being too hard on this museum. Hopefully it’ll be something that will attract some outsiders to this wretched landfill in the middle of the state they call Peoria. They’re going to spend our tax dollars on some other foolish endeavor if they don’t use it on this. At least this stands a chance at helping out our economic situation and spreading some cultural diversity in this Orwellian, cookie-cutter metropolis.
My doubts on this museum come from the possibility that a group of architeture school dropouts are going to be the ones making it an un-appealing square box, as they currently have with the creeps-ville that is Lakeview museum. THAT’s what you should really be talking about. The county or city stealing from our back pocket is going to happen no matter what.
I guess my problem with this is that, as usual, anything having to do with this museum is completely closed to debate. When this project was given the ‘go-ahead’ by the ‘people’ of Peoria City/County, the museum proponents believed they were given carte blanche to do with this project as THEY see fit!
The above post may only be a ‘rumor’, but the track record of the PRM makes it a viable one.
“Now the son’s disgraced
He, who knew his father
When he cursed his name
Turned, and chased the dollar
But it broke his heart
So he stuck his middle finger
To the world
To the world
To the world
And you take your time
And you stand in line
Well you’ll get what’s yours
I got mine”
from ‘Let it Rock’