Nathan Deal: Dollars for new stadium ‘belong to Atlanta’
He didn’t give it his endorsement, but Gov. Nathan Deal on Tuesday laid out some arguments likely to be used by supporters of a new, $1 billion stadium that would serve as a new home for the Atlanta Falcons.
First of all, the governor told my AJC colleague Greg Bluestein that he wants the team to stay put. “I think it’s important for us to keep the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta. We are proud of them, and they’ve had a great year, and we’re hoping they’re going to go all the way to the Super Bowl.”
Critics of a new stadium point out that the Georgia Dome is only 20 years old. But the governor said that if a new stadium doesn’t replace it, expensive updates would be required. “We do know the existing stadium, even though it looks very good now, within the not too distant future there will be significant repairs and upgrades that will be needed to maintain the current Dome,” he said.
As he has before, Deal said his involvement in the matter was limited, and refused to say whether he wanted the measure to pass. But the governor again tossed out some strong hints.
“That’s not a judgment call that I make. It is a legislative matter. I certainly think that having a billion-dollar investment, the majority which is private money … is certainly something that is desirable for our state,” the governor said. “I think the city of Atlanta and the mayor in particular share the view that this is critical to the downtown area as well. There are a lot of things at play, but it does come down in very difficult economic times [to] convincing the Legislature … as to whether or not they want to do it.”
But the most important thing the governor did today was cast the decision as one that should yield to local – i.e., Atlanta – sentiment. “I think there’s another important fact that sometimes gets over looked,” he said. “The dollars that will be collected and used to pay off the bonds for a new stadium – these are really dollars that belong to the city of Atlanta and Fulton County because they come from their local hotel-motel tax. These are not dollars that flow into the state treasury.”
Additionally, the governor implied that the issue would be pressed this year, despite the fact that the issue polls dismally. “In talking with the Falcons, they believe this is a time-critical issue,” he said.
As the governor spoke, a Senate committee was engaged in a fast-moving attempt to defuse the explosive “hospital bed tax” issue to fill a Medicaid gap. One long-time lobbyist we spoke to said he never saw such a large issue taken up on only the second day of a session.
Two thoughts on that:
– The new alliance of Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Senate President pro tem David Shafer will probably be never stronger than it is today. That’s one reason for moving quickly, and probably the most important.
– But also consider that, if state lawmakers are allowed to dodge the “bed tax” bullet, they’re more likely to accept the risks attached to a vote approving a rebuilt Georgia Dome.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
For instant updates, follow me on Twitter, or connect with me on Facebook.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
113 comments Add your comment
OTP
January 15th, 2013
9:57 pm
So, if a new stadium will bring in all those millions from the Super Bowl, SEC, etc., use that money to pay for it!
Hilarious
January 15th, 2013
10:00 pm
Remember folks, the SOSHALUSM!!!! that we have here in the United States is Corporate SOSHALUSM!!!!
There is way too much money involved with this stadium deal for it to not happen.
Consider it done.
The NFL, Arthur Blank, and various other companies thank you in advance for your tax dollars filling their wallets.
td
January 15th, 2013
10:09 pm
Hilarious
January 15th, 2013
10:00 pm
Building a new stadium is an investment (I know you progressives do not understand the real meaning of this word). Investment means money is placed on a project and the people invest see a return or all the original money plus other money.
Socialism is an economic theory that states:
a political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.
policy or practice based on the political and economic theory of socialism.
(in Marxist theory) a transitional social state between the overthrow of capitalism and the realization of Communism.
The term ‘socialism’ has been used to describe positions as far apart as anarchism, Soviet state Communism, and social democracy; however, it necessarily implies an opposition to the untrammelled workings of the economic market. The socialist parties that have arisen in most European countries from the late 19th century have generally tended towards social democracy
No socialism in building a stadium.
swatguy
January 15th, 2013
10:11 pm
This for many means JOBS. With Jobs come a healthier economy. Reinvestment, housing sales, increase of property taxes and trickle down to schools, roads ect… Atlanta Is an Alpha city, a global city. Behave like it folks.
Hilarious
January 15th, 2013
10:17 pm
TD:
Are you willfully ignorant of what is going to happen, or just naive?
Here is what will happen.
The NFL, Arthur Blank, and a few corporations will feed upon tax dollars, all for their own profit.
Meanwhile, any type of INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT will be ignored because it might help out Blah people.
Get a clue. Invest in it with your own money.
double
January 15th, 2013
10:18 pm
and now you gonna have to pay for your Obama phone.
J BO
January 15th, 2013
10:18 pm
FOOTBALL IS A BUSINESS LIKE ANY OTHER, WE DO NOT BUILD A NEW BUILDING EVERY FEW YEARS FOR CVS PHARMACY EVERYTIME THEY WANT A NEW ONE. LET ARTHUR USE FALCOM PROFITS TO BUILD THEIR OWN BUILDING AND THEN WE COULD COLLECT TAX ON IT TO GO TO SCHOOLS ETC. AS FOR AS REPAIRS HE CAN PAY FOR THEM ALSO. TWENTY YEAR OLD BUILDING HA. LOOK AT GRANT FIELD AND HOW OLD IT IS. BEEN REPAIRED AND ADDED ON TO MANY TIMES AND STILL IN GOOD SHAPE. IF THE DOME NEEDS REPAIR REMOVE IT AND PLAY IN THE OUT DOORS AS THE GAME WAS MENT TO BE. WITH THEM OWNING THE PROPERTY WE COULD DEMAND AND RECEIVE PART OF THE MONIES MADE OFF CONNESSIONS AND A % OF ENDORSEMENTS ETC. THAT PLAYERS MAKE. TIME FOR THE FALCONS TO BECOME SELF SUPPORTING DON’T YOU THINK.
Courtney
January 15th, 2013
10:28 pm
Ask the residents of Gwinnett about stadium deals. Nothing the politicians said came true and the tax-payers got stuck with a HUGE bill.
td
January 15th, 2013
10:35 pm
Hilarious
January 15th, 2013
10:17 pm
Infrastructure investments have nothing to do with building a stadium. Two totally different pots of money. The money collected from a hotel/motel tax can ONLY be used for such things as a stadium. It can NOT be used for infrastructure so the comparison is nothing more then a ruse.
Now tell us how much money will be taken out of the Hotel/food and entertainment industries if the Falcons left Atlanta? Tell us how many jobs would be lost?
Did you know that all these other related industries charge taxes that actually goes back into the local economy? How many millions will the city and state lose if the Falcons pulled out or we lost the SEC Championship game to Texas or NO’s or lost an additional Super Bowl?
Hilarious
January 15th, 2013
10:36 pm
TD:
So let Arthur Blank and the NFL hold Atlanta hostage so they can have taxpayers pay for the stadium, rather than the people who will end up making billions of dollars with the stadium.
Never mind the fact that the Georgia Dome is only 20 years old.
Hey, shill for the billionaires. They might throw you an extra crumb.
Greg Camp
January 15th, 2013
10:39 pm
I can’t believe that the Georgia Dome needs to be demolished and replaced. It already has been renovated and only 20 years old. Retrofit a retractible roof and rearrange the seating. Downtown has plenty of other uses for those funds, including Underground and Five Points.
James
January 15th, 2013
10:41 pm
We paid $300,000,000 just three years ago to upgrade the Georgia Dome! Why’d Blank get all that money for an upgrade if he was planning to turn around and have it demolished? Sorry Artie, you already blew $300 million that you never should have had your hands on. You don’t get another $300,000,000 every three years like you seem to think.
James
January 15th, 2013
10:47 pm
td, explain this:
The hotel tax can only be used by the stadium because the law says that. The law cannot easily be changed. That’s your argument, right?
The GWCC can only issue $200,000,000 in bonds but needs $300,000,000. This means the law must be changed. So if the law is being changed, it should be changed to something sane rather than the cozy backroom deal that Blank arranged for himself two years ago.
Either the law can be changed, in which case the public money isn’t super glued to the Falcons or it cannot be changed, in which case the GWCC cannot issue the full amount of the bonds. Which is it? You can’t have it both ways.
the truth
January 15th, 2013
10:52 pm
The best solution is for the funding to fail, have Blank and the NFL pick up the cost for a new stadium in the burbs some place. This will still provide the jobs for building the stadium, but will also include more jobs for needed infrastructure improvements in the area of the new stadium such as roads and utilities and hotels. Build it an area with plenty of parking so the Falcons can have the benefit of parking revenue, and fans can have the benefit of tailgating and not riding Marta.
Former Atlanta resident
January 15th, 2013
10:54 pm
Should Governor Deal, Mayor Reed and others who hold government offices really be focusing so much time, energy and, ultimately, money on a stadium that doesn’t need to be replaced when there are streets other than 75/85 and 285 that are in serious need of repair, homeless people on just about every corner and school systems that are constantly looking for ways to deal with overcrowding?
Kris
January 15th, 2013
11:06 pm
James, Former and truth,,,, Well said.
Thats why Deal has the name shady, crooked, in the midnight hour behind locked guarded doors which seems the norm for double dip deal a bill gets passed or has already been passed. all of a sudden some one (Governor loosely used term) summons someone that can write and all of a sudden something has been added to the bill.
Deal out 2014
Bigdawg88
January 15th, 2013
11:17 pm
I’m curious as to what kind of problems the current stadium has that will require all that repair? What’s wrong with it, looks okay to me? If it’s structural that would sound like grounds for a lawsuit since it’s only 20 years old. Are the bathrooms falling apart? Is the plumbing messed up? Sounds to me like a bunch of BS. And they better say how long they plan for the next stadium to last, or else we’re going to be doing this again in 20 years. Why can’t they just rotate the stupid SB amongst all the cities? Freaking greed is going to kill enthusiasm for this sport!
49er
January 15th, 2013
11:24 pm
49ers roll—win big. will the falcon fans still want pay hundreds of millions for a new stadium after that beatdown???
James
January 15th, 2013
11:59 pm
The stadium can’t move to the suburbs because there is no county that would pay for the massive infrastructure upgrades required. Gwinnett isn’t going to do it. They’ve been through a mess of corruption and the baseball stadium has been a disaster. Cobb? Ha, no way… people in Cobb don’t want to pay a bunch of extra taxes for a stadium. There’s no way a hotel tax in either of those counties could cover $300,000,000 for Arthur Blank’s payoff and several hundred million more in infrastructure. Sales or property taxes would have to go up in order to host a stadium. Blank would also demand revenue guarantees to compensate for the increased risk of locating in a non central market.
North Fulton? Well, that’s Fulton, which is already where the discussion is going on. And if there is any place more anti-tax than Cobb, it’s north Fulton. Creating Milton County wouldn’t help any because it would still be the same anti-tax crowd.
Clayton? HAHAHAHA!
So that leaves DeKalb. It might be able to come up with the money through property tax increases but that county is so dysfunctional that the money would get lost on the way to the bank.
If Blank can’t get money out of any of the other counties, he’d have to pay for the entire thing himself. In that case, he might as well stay in the Georgia Dome which he doesn’t have to spend hundreds of millions out of his pocket to keep.
It’s either the City of Atlanta or move the Falcons to another city. The NFL isn’t going to be keen on losing a ten top media market so the only city the Falcons could possibly move to is Los Angeles. It’s a huge market but also one that already lost two teams due to lack of interest and hasn’t put together a deal over the past two decades that shows the city is any more interested in football today than it was when the Rams and the Raiders left.
Old Violin
January 16th, 2013
12:00 am
I would like to start a Mumbly Peg franchise in Atlanta. I will be responsible for drawing up the rules and drafting the players. Since I will need Ice Picks instead of footballs, and of course sharp knives to sharpen the pegs, shovels to dig the holes and irrigation to fill the holes with water, I should be able to get the first team up and pegging for 2 million dollars, I think it’s reasonable to ask the state of georgia to start charging extra tax for towels and bathroom tissue in our hotels to pay for this. Since I came up with this great idea, I will collect 98 percent of the profits and the other 2 percent can be used to pay the state back. No Super Dome, No stadium, and no thousand dollar tickets…..Ticket prices will start at fifty cents, and can’t exceed a buck-fifty…..so that common folks can watch the games. P.S. All TV rights belong to Georgia Public Television…..are I smart or what ?
Brandon
January 16th, 2013
12:08 am
So the STILL VERY NICE Dome is not Super Bowl worthy, but the 38-year old Louisiana / Mercedes-Benz Superdome IS??? Mind you this up-coming Super Bowl with be the Superdome’s 7th Super Bowl in it’s 38 years of existence. The exterior is all one color… bronze, the shape is WAY out-dated, it’s a FIXED ROOF, it’s been hit by a hurricane, it’s home to one of the worst teams in the NFL. The GA Dome does NOT need to be replaced. there are more important things / places in Atlanta that need repair. The Dome is NOT one of them!
Brandon
January 16th, 2013
12:11 am
And I forgot, a new, more expensive arena would mean Falcons tickets, food and parking would go up in price. With this economy the way it is and other prices (gas, groceries, etc…) going up and paychecks going down, nobody would be able to afford to go to a game anymore
Gritsfed
January 16th, 2013
12:25 am
Build the stadium, folks!!!
The repairs the dome needs will cost as much as the money they need now from the Hotel-motel tax!
A new venue will generate a Super Bowl, renewal of the SEC Championship game AND a better venue helping ATL to get the new locations for the BCS playoff Final championship games in the future! It helps West Atl.and ALL of Ga.
Yes, build the NEW STADIUM!!!
graphman3d
January 16th, 2013
12:33 am
For me, it’s not the potential reallocation of tax dollars from the hotel/motel tax for local infrastructure projects (which Atlanta badly needs addressing), it’s any public support for a billionaire’s palace. Especially with the dome fully functional. This will cost Atlanta/Fulton County over $500M (stadium, infrastructure upgrades, etc) before it’s over. For what? The chance to get the Super Bowl? I’d love to see the ROI for other cities that host the Super Bowl.
yuzeyurbrane
January 16th, 2013
12:45 am
td, I notice how you condemn others for not giving citations to their facts but where are your citations? I have read many articles, including some by writers who you usually support, saying that your facts are wrong. Or they are just plain illogical, like the hotel tax can’t be used for another purpose claim because of the law on which it is based. Well, as one other poster noted, that law can be easily changed to redirect the money for anything else, including education, infrastructure, etc. Another logical point, when the Dome bonds are paid off and if this flim-flam deal of a new stadium is rejected, the tax will just lapse. This would help the hotels stay full by allowing them to reduce their charges and benefit the convention industry which does not give a hoot about an elusive 2nd Superbowl or equally elusive Final Four venue. In particular, kindly explain your basis for claiming Georgia stands to lose “billions” if a new stadium is not built? You won’t because you can’t without admitting your facts are coming from your derriere.
A person SMART enough to know.....
January 16th, 2013
3:44 am
In OTHER WORDS “Let the Ni&&ers in Da ATL F..Dis ALL up…..My White AZZZZ is not going to play Dis Gamz.”
you can't fix stupid or Democrats
January 16th, 2013
5:18 am
College football teams built their own staduims. Pro soccer teams accross the world own their stadiums. Why should NFL play in stadium built by taxpayers run by taxpayers and keep most of the profits? Mr. Blank does not need the money! If he wants a new store does he not built it himself! NFL owners all the time holding the moving gun to heads of cities so they can get their way. Even if they move the world is not going to end!
Horsetoothedjackass
January 16th, 2013
5:22 am
The way some of you are going on, it’s as if they’re going to start building the new stadium tomorrow. This is a project that is still a few years away from even breaking ground and by the time the new stadium is built. The Georgia Dome, while still a decent facility, cannot effectively compete with the newer stadiums in the NFL and while they could retrofit the facility further, the costs to do so just don’t make sense. In addition, additional renovations and upgrades to the Georgia Dome would reduce seating capacity and that’s not a good thing. It’s not as simple as ripping off the roof of the Georgia Dome and installing a retractable one and who knows if that would even be feasible.
The hotel/motel tax has been used to help pay for the bonds on the Georgia Dome and Philips Arena was partially financed via a tax on rental cars in Atlanta and College Park. This is not a new concept folks and has been done for years in many cities.
The one thing about this that really chaps me is the fact that less than two years ago, both Gov. Deal and Mayor Reed would not do a thing to help keep the Thrashers in Atlanta saying that it was a “private business matter”. Meanwhile both have bent over backwards to help the Falcons get a new stadium in order to have the Falcons “stay put”. Mayor Reed even promotes Atlanta as a “sports town” yet let a team in one of the four major sports leagues get sold and relocated. Voters ought to remember that when both of them are up for re-election.
Carpetbagger
January 16th, 2013
5:42 am
Let them eat cake.
Dekeale
January 16th, 2013
5:45 am
The bottom line is the public does not want and need a new stadium.
Dekeale
January 16th, 2013
5:52 am
Thank Jim Galloway for his article, because without it the public would be in the dark. Just like what GWCC and Art Blank has done, we are still in the dark. The Falcons only play 10 games in the Dome, the GWCC makes more money with other events during and when Falcons are not playing. If Art Blank wants to more the his Falcons move them what about getting other them to replace them.
Bulldawg
January 16th, 2013
6:02 am
Sounds like a “FAIR DEAL” to me.
BitterEXdemocrackkk
January 16th, 2013
6:04 am
stadium sh’ite going on in Charlotte too, where the Panthers held a back room closed door meeting with CLT city council to BEG for $125 MILLION to renovate their ONLY 17 year old stadium. There is NO way in the world either of these two stadia need such money spent. Let the NFL pay for it since they want the results. Pro sports is a huge part of America’s problem
rawmilkdrinker
January 16th, 2013
6:13 am
So what if the current dome will need extensive repairs in a few years. The new billion dollar stadium will need repairs from time to time as well. Will the new stadium be torn down in 20 years and replaced with a 3 billion dollar stadium? How many older houses get remodeled evry 10-15 years. Why do State entitys, and a lot of individuals for that matter, seem to think that a new building will never need any maintenance or repair? I guess some people like to trade cars every three years rather than have the oil changed or new tires put on. Idiotic economics from my barnyard perspective!
Glenn
January 16th, 2013
6:23 am
People have been complaining that Atlanta keeps getting bypassed for Superbowl’s and they can’t understand why…It’s because of the GA Dome. If Atlanta wants another one, then a new stadium needs to be built. If that happens, then the NFL has said we WILL get another Superbowl, and all of the millions upon millions of dollars of income that come along with it, which will offset the cost to build it. In fact, just a couple of Superbowl’s would probably generate as much revenues as all of the taxpayer contributions. This is a no-brainer.
gregory
January 16th, 2013
6:33 am
Blank is a greedy jerk, and you will pay for this, with a hotel tax my butt, how long did they say the dome would last? TD is a smuck working for Blank, lets not forget that people will have to pay thousand for the right to buy tickets, is that not another tax TD? This is only for the rich, let the stinking rich pay for it then, more sky boxes for greedy self serving corporations and crooked politicans, screw them all, let the Flacons leave big Deal, speaking of crooks.
MoFaux
January 16th, 2013
6:35 am
td: You are aware that the legislature has reconvened, no? Voters overwhelmingly do not want $300 to $500 million spent on this stadium. I’m guessing you are not a lawyer, and neither am I. However, one could reasonably interpret other infrastructure needs, such as roads and transit, as contributing towards tourism. And if not, then reread my first sentence. The law should be changed to use this money for other purposes. If you think a Super Bowl will really bring in $300 million to the city, and magically pay off the bonds, then I have some stuff in my attic that you might be interested in. These are strawman arguments used to lie to the people about how profitable these stadiums are. If you look at history, there is definitely NO convincing argument that building publicly-funded stadiums yield the huge returns on investment that is touted and parroted by pro-stadium folks.
amalo
January 16th, 2013
6:42 am
in about 10 years, arthur’s new palace will be “out of date” compared to other two billion $$ stadium built by another owner—he will come again to the city and Ga legislature with phony threats to move the team to hundreds of millions more in govt handouts—that’s why he’s a billionaire—he gets chumps to keep giving him money
FenderMan
January 16th, 2013
6:54 am
The Falcons benefit the whole state, let the hotel tax apply to every hotel in Georgia. That would raise a lot of money and not put all the financial burden on Atlanta and Fulton County.
“Reality has a liberal bias”, thanks for that. That’s my joke of the day.
Marlboro Man
January 16th, 2013
6:57 am
Saps, New Orleans get a super bowl with a refurbished, non retractable roof, you will believe anything Mr “high profit ” Blank spews.
Wally
January 16th, 2013
7:09 am
So now you want some old fashioned socialism?
domedebt
January 16th, 2013
7:09 am
At the fiscal year end for the Dome they still owed over $107,000,000.00 on the original bonds for the dome construction. This debt is not scheduled to paid off for another 8 years. I would like to know how they are going to pay off this old debt and float another $300,000,000.00 in bonds and stay within the legal borrowing limits of the Dome. If they do float a new bond the first thing they should do is pay off the remaining debt on the original dome, this would leave them short of the monies they have committed to the new dome. This whole deal doesn’t pass the smell test.
Edmund Ruffin
January 16th, 2013
7:11 am
I don’t care where the taxpayer lives, taxpayers should not have to pay for sports stadiums. If I visit another city I don’t want to have to pay for their entertainment. NO TAXES FOR SPORTS STADIUMS.
ASanePerson
January 16th, 2013
7:22 am
Am I reading this correctly. The state is so low on tax revenue they had to borrow from the transportation fund to make repairs to streets and roads. Then in the same newspaper, the Governor is endorsing a new stadium. The one question I have, is what has been the impact on current economy for everyday citizens. And the answer will be none. because every time we look up the city or the state is short of money and imposing some new few on citizens. most of whom have never attended a Falcon’s game or lack the funds to attend one. It is time the concentration for development move from Business to the welfare and growth of the citizen. Afterall, we are the ones who live here.
Road Scholar
January 16th, 2013
7:24 am
““I think it’s important for us to keep the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta.”
How else can legislators get free tickets?
“The dollars that will be collected and used to pay off the bonds for a new stadium – these are really dollars that belong to the city of Atlanta and Fulton County …”
So since the COA is responsible for the funding, which would take money away from other infrastructure repairs and construction, does the COA get the resulting sales tax due to this investment to use for said infrastructure? I bet not!
LG
January 16th, 2013
7:34 am
If a tax is levied on visitors, that money should go to repairing roads, improving schools, supporting Grady Hospital (that provides medical care to the state), books and computers for kids, etc.
jhd
January 16th, 2013
7:52 am
the falcons play 8 home games a year, how long will it take to pay the $300mil? also this does not include the infrastructure costs which will be another $300mil. this is a 50-50 proposition not a 70-30 like the conspiritors claim.
John R
January 16th, 2013
7:53 am
The city and the state will recoup the investment back ten fold. So what if Mr Blank takes the Falcons elsewhere? The Falcons will put up 800 million. We can invest 300 million. The state gives companies tax credits to come to Georgia so this is the same idea.
This Sunday do not watch the Falcons. Don’t pay any attention to them at all.
Much like the Miami Dolphins just another team in the country.
Pretend they are already gone!
Good times are just around the corner.
Ask that the Falcons pay us back the money over a ten year period at 2% interest and use that to repair the sewers.
We want them to stay forever as we want the Braves to stay.
Make the investment and bring us the Super Bowl.
How about the investment we made in the lousy job the highway resurface job on 285? They need to redo half of it.
jhd
January 16th, 2013
7:56 am
the state better start putting toll lanes on the south, east and west interstate entrances to the city and maybe put in toll lanes on airport runways to help pay for these 8 days a year entertainment.
Silver Fox
January 16th, 2013
8:11 am
It’s easy to oppose the stadium at first blues . However, after some thought you will come to acknowledge that the $1B cost ($700M in private funds) will be spent in the local community meaning jobs, services etc. this does not mention the new opportunities the stadium will provide Georgia.