(see the update at the bottom)
Somehow a $41 Million dollar expense will only cost $3.02 a year per person. It’s magic!!! That is what the ACC is saying trying to trick people into believing the cost will be minimal. Some truth:
This figure totally ignores Frisco’s $29.6 Million dollar construction cost. That’s how much it will costs to repay the $19 million bond. . Why would the ACC ignore nearly $30 Million in costs?
Frisco doesn’t tax on a per capita (per person) basis. You pay taxes on your property’s value and of course a sales tax on the things you purchase in Frisco and the city keeps 2%.
There is no per person tax! To use such an example is a blatant attempt to minimize the real costs to a family.
The figure they are referring to is just the O/M (operating & maintenance) costs. The costs to keep the doors open and the place functioning. In 2002 council members stated the O/M costs would be $96,000/year. According to the ACC, Frisco’s portion will now be about $375K/year. Our own city staff has the estimate at more like $490,000/year. The O/M costs are based on a population formula. The staff’s $490K figure assumed that Frisco would represent 22% of the population of the participating cities. The census is now in and we’re over 28%…so now the yearly O/M is closer to $580,000/year. See the trend….the numbers never get smaller do they?!
The above figures in #3 accepted all of the assumptions that study the ACC cites is accurate vis-a-vis their attendance figures. That very well may not be the case but we’ll concede the point for our purposes here. For Frisco’s portion of the O/M to get as low as $375K a year a few things would have to occur. We’d need to be 22% of the population of Plano, Allen and the 12K folks that Fairview & Melissa add to the mix. We know we’re at 28%. So that’s a no go. Also, the ACC would have to raise over $700,000 per year in corporate sponsorships AND membership dues per year. do you really think that is going to happen? Their assumption is that one percent of ALL families in Collin County will pay $100 per annum to ‘belong’ to the ACC. We feel that’s a huge stretch when only 1/10 of one percent have even given at least one dollar in the last eight years. Not likely. And will be there be corporate sponsorship dollars? Sure there is most certainly be some but hundreds of thousands of buck on a consistent basis when those dollars can also support and sponsor art & shows at the Eisenmann Center, AT & T Center, Fair Park and/or Bass?
Bottom line is… don’t believe the hype!
UPDATE -3/24/2011
The ACC has changed their math on the issue, they are now saying the phase one will cost the average home owner $44 per year.
On the $3.02 per person cost, so a newly wed couple moving into their new home and maturing family where kids have all gone off on their own will pay $6.04, but a family with 4 kids in soccer, football, baseball, and other activities would pay $18.12 there is no equably in that. It has been mentioned that it will cost $3.70 family a month. Well the latest numbers is 2009 listed on City of Frisco website. There are 38,791 households so doing the math thats 38,791 X $3.70 = $143,527.70 per month X 12 months = $1,722,320.40 per year. Now the 2100 seat performing arts hall will not seat 38,791 households, nor will the 400 seat amphitheater, and you cannot park 38,791 cars in the 700 car parking lot. This venue is being built by the masses for the few who will attend. City of Frisco demographics website estimates Frisco population as 119,738 if everyone in the City of Frisco wanted to go see on performance, that performance would have to run for 58 days just to seat our population, now this is not going to happen so I say again, the masses are building a facility for the choice few who would attend the events at the ACC, and oh yeah bragging rights.