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MARION MAY INVEST SALES TAX IN BASEBALL STADIUM

BY JOHN D. HOMAN
THE SOUTHERN

Friday, February 4, 2005 7:23 AM CST

MARION -- Much like they did 15 years ago when they lured the DeBartolo family to Williamson County to build the Illinois Centre mall, Marion city officials are considering a sales tax increase to help fund the construction of a minor league baseball park.

Mayor Bob Butler said Thursday that the city has been engaged in discussions this week with the Southern Illinois Baseball Group in an effort to further the project. Butler said a sales tax increase is a likely option.

"If we hadn't done that (sales tax increase) with the mall, it never would have gone through," Butler said. "And the mall was a $60 million project. The baseball project is a much smaller project."

The baseball group, headed up by lead investor John Simmons of East Alton, recently purchased the Savannah, Ga. Sand Gnats of the South Atlantic League, a Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, formerly known as the Montreal Expos. After the purchase, Simmons said he would stick by his promise to bring either the Sand Gnats or another minor league baseball team to Marion in the spring of 2006.

Plans call for Simmons to foot the bill for the purchase of a team and land to house the proposed new stadium in Marion, as well as much of the stadium construction cost. He has asked the state to kick in about half the estimated construction cost or $7.5 million.

When visiting the region last month, Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he would support funding for the stadium, but the legislature has yet to vote on the proposal.

"What the governor proposes and what the legislature disposes, however, could be two different things," Butler said.

The mayor wouldn't divulge specifics of the baseball discussions, but did say it's "a distinct possibility" that the matter of a sales tax increase would be brought up for a vote at a city council meeting later this month.

"The baseball development group wants to get this matter resolved in just a matter of days -- maybe within the next week to 10 days," Butler said. "And the city is willing to step up and support the project because we believe it would greatly benefit both Marion and the area."

In 1990, the city issued a massive bond financed by city sales taxes to help finance the construction of the Illinois Centre mall. Instead of pushing much of the incentive costs onto the state as a TIF district would have done, the bond cost the city $1.4 million a year. The mall sparked restaurant and other retail development around it.

Butler is banking that the construction of a new baseball stadium will spur additional growth.

Marion Economic Development Director Dorain Fletcher said it makes good sense to support the baseball project with a sales tax increase.

"A (professional) baseball team will bring a lot more people into the city," Fletcher said. "And not only will they be going to the games, but they will be shopping here, eating at our restaurants and staying in our hotels. It will help everybody."

john.homan@thesouthern.com 618-997-3356 x15807