The same Representative that passed
House Bill 2639 when no one was looking tried to pull a fast one on Fort Worth hotels.
WHY?
The
Fort Worth Weekly knows why. So do some others downtown, but they ain't talking.
Is it a rodeo arena or the Trinity River Vision? We can't tell.
And then there is the issue of who will pay for it. Proponents want the city to be on the hook an unspecified amount of the cost, which could be half or more of a price tag that some observers predict will come in at more than $200 million. But even though no plans have been approved or made public, that hasn’t prevented the arena proponents from seeking public tax money for the project. What’s more, when the convoluted description of what cities the bill would cover is deciphered, it turns out that only one city would be affected: Fort Worth. The bill was filed by Fort Worth State Rep. Charlie Geren in March. No one in the hotel industry — from the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau to local hotel operators to city staff and council members — was consulted prior to the filing. When an Austin hotel lobbyist discovered the bill, local hoteliers were alerted, and most were livid. Geren then pulled the bill, in mid-April.
