My ideal situation would be as listed below. Anything free on top of this deal would be leaning in the wrong direction for myself.
If the City reserved land for a future stadium complex for the flames: ok by me
If the City gave the flames a dime which wasn't from infrastructure upgrades (i.e. roads and paths): shoot it down,
Unless:
We then as Calgarians realize that the stadium is a core part of their business, and if we want them to stay, we need to help out. However, in order for this to happen:
-They need to truly open their books for any business they expect to profit from by building a new stadium
-Based on their profit each year, they can't reasonably expect to support a new stadium with a payback of x years (i.e. 30-50, find someone smarter then me to define x)
-Every dollar given, is tied to an equation with a shifting scale. If the Flames make over x dollars profit in one year (i.e. the payback equation for an arena they could of paid for with their profits is shorter then expected when the money was given), then the flames pay back x dollars with prime rate interest. This would include any tax incentives including property tax.
-The stadium doesn't get built for another x years. You don't get free public money because you can't afford the largest capital asset key to your business unless your current building is truly overdue.
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