Washington State Senator Ed Murray Needs a KeyArena Bill

The Washington State Convention Center made a move for its slice of the non-general fund revenue pie that proponents of the KeyArena remodel are also interested in utilizing.

On Feb. 5, Washington State Senator Ed Murray sponsored bill 5875 AN ACT Relating to the convention place station expansion of the state convention and trade center.

This proposal is intended to allow the the Washington State Convention & Trade Center to spend $766 million to expand its facility by building a second building across the street from the current location in downtown Seattle, essentially doubling its capacity.

The revenue to support this big build comes from an existing seven percent sales tax added on top of the existing state sales tax on hotels just in Seattle. The hotels must have 60 or more rooms, so, larger downtown hotels are effected.

This tax is currently paying off the first big building. the debt against the original facility. Senator Ed Murray was quoted during the 5 PM KING News broadcast tonight as saying the convention center currently turned away $1.7 billion in business over the past 4 years, motivating the convention center to request the expansion.

This revenue is not part of the state's general fund, so taking for spreading around the rest of the state is to be avoided. This actually happened last year to plug some state budget holes and that made the Seattle hoteliers very angry.

It is very likely that if the fund were to be taken again that the hoteliers would take legal action. It may not be popular to promote this project, but the alternative use for this fund may be legally problematic.

But as Senator Murray was quoted on television tonight he said the expansion would employ 300 construction workers, and 3,500 employees once it is built.

What is important about this bill is that there has been an agreement of some kind between the convention center folks and the City of Seattle to share that seven percent sales tax when it becomes available, six percent for the convention center and one percent for Seattle Center.

The city is planning on requesting that last one percent to fund the remodel of Seattle Center's KeyArena (that is one word, KeyArena).

Senator Murray said tonight on KING 5 News that nobody has approached him about a Seattle Center KeyArena bill. I had sent Mr. Murray an email on Feb. 5 concerning both the his convention center bill, and requesting that he sponsor or supports a similar bill for KeyArena.

I also sent a similar email to one of the bill co-sponsors Senator Ken Jacobsen who is my Representative, as well as an email to Representative Ross Hunter. Murray and Hunter both served on a task force that was supposed to recommend projects using this local funding source.

The convention center and Seattle Center presentations were made back to back to Mr. Hunter and Mr. Murray's task force on Dec. 2, 2008. If Ed Murray has the ability to write a bill for the convention center then what, other than personal desire, is stopping him from writing a bill for Seattle Center.

Who has to contact Ed Murray in order for him to write another bill that is almost the same bill as he had written for the convention center. Is this supposed to be the city asking, another legislator?

Brian Robinson at Sonics Central has mentioned that there is a bill that has been drafted and had a fed revisions. Does Rd Murray know about this, or is what he said what he did to force that bill out?

Have a great day,
Mr Baker
Sent from my iPhone