City of Jackson hands Ballpark over to new group
UPDATE:
JACKSON, Tenn. — Mayor Scott Conger confirmed during a Facebook Live on Wednesday that the lease is now only $50,000 a year instead of the proposed $70,000.
The term is for eight years instead of 10.
You can find the update agreement here.
You can also find how much taxpayers will be paying here.
EARLIER STORY:
JACKSON, Tenn. — A new group is taking control of the Ballpark of Jackson.
“The mayor told me he held up his keys. He said I need to get these off my desk,” said Dennis Bastien, Commissioner of the Prospect League.
The City of Jackson signed an eight year lease agreement with Bastien to move into the Ballpark on Jan. 1, 2022.
But was this signing rushed, and more importantly was this the best decision for the City of Jackson taxpayers?
“It’s a historic issue with the City of Jackson. I mean, this has happened for years, and years, and years, and years, and years, even before this council and this administration was here. It’s been 11th hour politics. You know, we get something and we push it and we say we have to decide today. We have to decide before the end of the year. There’s always a deadline that we have to decide by, and we’re always given things at the last minute,” said City Councilman Paul Taylor.
After Tuesday’s signing, taxpayers can expect to contribute to a projected total annual expense hovering between $600,000 and $750,000.
Councilman Paul Taylor and City Finance Director Bobby Arnold estimates this includes $180,000 annually for repairs and maintenance of the facility, $90,000 a year for field maintenance, and it is about $50,000 to maintain and clean the facility.
“Total anywhere from [$630,000] to $770,000,” Taylor said. “For a total estimated expense of $5.6 million over the initial eight year term.”
A $1 first year lease is to provide a grace period to let in the beginning build team and get marketing set in place.
The terms of the agreement say they would pay the city $70,000 a year, starting in 2023.
“All that Mr. Bastien and his wife talked about was building out that marketing plan over the next year, and so they have one year which isn’t out of question. It’s just for me. It’s the length of the term. I think that we really needed to look at that and push harder to try to get that length down,” Taylor said.
The long-term agreement with long-term obligations now begs the question: Will taxpayers get a return on their investment and a better overall use of the Ballpark than the city says we had with the Jackson Generals?
“You know, I’m just looking out for the taxpayers. I’ve seen us get burnt over and over again. I have to make a stand on these issues,” Taylor said.
WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News did request on Monday for information from the city as to what the real and actual costs would be to the taxpayers under the terms of the new agreement.
We were told by the city spokesperson that we would have to file a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain those figures.
It is not clear why the city could not have easily provided those numbers, since it has been spending tax dollars every year on the Ballpark.
We would like to provide you exactly what you are paying for the Ballpark and will hopefully have the information soon.
It does not seem to be as transparent as an agreement involving your tax dollars should be.
You can find more local news through the WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News app.
