"There are no new taxes; there is no new revenues – state or local," said Samuelson, introducing her bill for debate on the House floor. "There are just two new options for the Charlotte City Council – which has joined us here today – to consider."
RALEIGH A day after speaking to a top Carolina Panthers official, the main sponsor of a bill to help finance improvements to the team’s stadium said Thursday there’s “a natural sense of urgency” to the effort.
Republican Rep. Ruth Samuelson said Panthers President Danny Morrison, just back from NFL meetings in Arizona, told her about public financing plans for stadiums in Atlanta, Buffalo and Minnesota.
The Carolina Panthers have asked Charlotte to contribute about $144 million to a renovation plan for Bank of America Stadium that will cost as much as $300 million.
Charlotte is up to bat again in Raleigh tomorrow on its other big legislative battle – this one to get approval for a tax hike that would help renovate Bank of America Stadium. Lawmakers balked at the city's initial request to double the local restaurant tax for a period of 30 years. Now the city is offering a compromise.
The Carolina Panthers, who are seeking more than $200 million in public funds for stadium renovations, said Thursday the team made $66.5 million during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, after an audit of the team was published by the website Deadspin.
Governor Pat McCrory is keeping his distance from the high-stakes battles Charlotte is engaged in over the future of the Airport and Bank of America Stadium.
Charlotte City leaders are engaged in high-stakes battles in Raleigh over the future of the Panthers and the airport. But Governor Pat McCrory – who was the city's longest-serving mayor – has said very little about either issue.
State lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow the city of Charlotte to pay for renovations to Bank of America stadium, but not the way the city wants to. The bill sponsored by four Mecklenburg County lawmakers gives the city flexibility to redirect tax money earmarked for the convention center.
