money

Via S-town Mike:

The Mayor is willing to support a proposal which provides $3,000,000 in new resources [to the Nashville Predators] for a total of over $6,700,000 per year for five years for the operation of the arena, plus incentive payments [50% of Metro revenues] for improved performance through the efforts of the local ownership group.

Wow, that’s a lot of money. Anyone want to take any bets as to whether we fund the Barnes’ plan for a Affordable Housing Trust Fund ($5 mil a year)? Maybe we’ll get around to fixing our homeless/housing problem next decade. Who needs bread when you have circuses? Oh, I know what you’re going to say. The predators being in Nashville will be good for commerce, which will boost tax revenue! It will trickle down. Just like it did from the old convention center. And the symphony hall. And the new convention center. And the (now-defunct) baseball park. I get it. It was a cute trick, but we really shouldn’t be falling for it anymore. When do we get off the merry-go-round ride of revenue-raising and middle-class luxury-item building and actually, you know, provide civic services and infrastructure that will sustain a healthy community? Anyone know?

But hey, at least we have a hockey team.