This evening, the Knox County Commission is discussing a possible creation of a city/county Sports Authority. I received the following press release from the Beacon Center of Tennessee.
Today, the Beacon Center has come out against any tax dollars going towards the proposed Tennessee Smokies stadium in Knoxville. As the Knox County Commission and Knoxville City Council vote on forming a sports authority, Beacon is warning against using any public funding on stadiums in Knox County. Additionally, Beacon has major concerns about the proposed sports authority “existing in perpetuity.”
“Tax dollars should not fund sports stadiums, period,” said Beacon CEO Justin Owen.
Owen continued, “Instead of funding pet sports projects, which almost always prove to be a terrible investment for taxpayers, local governments should focus on spending tax dollars wisely on true government projects like infrastructure and public safety. The proposed sports authority seems like a clear pass-through for a taxpayer-funded minor league stadium, which is absolutely not the role of government.”
Owen continued, “Instead of funding pet sports projects, which almost always prove to be a terrible investment for taxpayers, local governments should focus on spending tax dollars wisely on true government projects like infrastructure and public safety. The proposed sports authority seems like a clear pass-through for a taxpayer-funded minor league stadium, which is absolutely not the role of government.”
I agree with the Beacon Center on this.