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    • Rockford withholds proposed entertainment tax from council vote
    Idaho

    Rockford withholds proposed entertainment tax from council vote

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

    An entertainment tax on concert tickets to the Hard Rock Casino Rockford, supported by the Code & Regulation Committee, never made it onto the City Council agenda.

    City Manager Todd Cagnoni said the issue has not been on the agenda since the June 25 committee meeting to discuss concerns about the tax.

    “We just haven’t put it back on the agenda,” Cagnoni said. “We’re continuing to have discussions with the casino and other people about how that would work. So that’s the current status.”

    The proposal to impose a 5% tax on tickets to Hard Rock Live shows and a 3% tax on sporting events was never part of the casino’s agreement with the host community.

    The news of the planned tax surprised those responsible for the casino weeks before the opening. The revenue from the tax was to be reserved as part of the city’s redevelopment fund for art and culture initiatives.

    It is intended to be similar to a fee charged on tickets at the BMO Center and the Coronado Performing Arts Center.

    Geno Iafrate, president of Hard Rock Casino Rockford, said he “continues to monitor the situation” but has not yet publicly expressed the casino’s position on the proposed tax.

    More: Five fun facts about the giant Rockford guitar at the Hard Rock Casino

    It is unusual for a city committee to approve an item that is then not on the agenda at the next city council meeting, said the city’s legal director, Nick Meyer.

    Although it is not strictly compliant with the rules, the committee chair — in this case Ald. Gabrielle Torina, D-5 — can prevent the item from being placed on the City Council agenda, Meyer said.

    “We have had to hold something back on very rare occasions when something came up between council and committee that we felt needed to be worked out further,” he said. “That’s rare. We don’t normally do that.”

    Normally, the items voted on in the Council committees are submitted to the full Council for a final vote the following week.

    Torina did not respond to a request for comment.

    Ald. Chad Tuneberg, R-3, who serves as the City Council’s liaison to the Rockford Area Entertainment & Venues Authority, said Hard Rock has been a great partner for the city and many area charities.

    “This has become quite a complex issue that involves ongoing discussions between the city, the city council, the casino and the board of the Rockford Area Venues & Entertainment Authority,” Tuneberg said.

    Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached at (815) 987-1374, by email at [email protected] and at X. @jeffkolkey.

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    Madoc Meredith
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