Metro Councilman Joel Boé says he’s encouraged by revisions Mayor Kip Holden has made to the $748 million bond proposal. Boé says the revision of the bond proposal is “a sign of real progress” in communication between the council and mayor. Nonetheless, Boé says he still won’t be able to support the infrastructure improvements component of the three-part bond package unless a $37 million parking garage is moved to the economic development portion of the proposal. “It’s that important to me at this point,” Boé says. “The parking garage generates revenue, and they’re also going to be leasing retail space on the ground floor of it. It belongs in economic development.”
Holden announced Monday he’s made some slight revisions to his original bond proposal, including shifting the $52 million consolidation/renovation of the Governmental Building from the public safety component to infrastructure improvements. That move reportedly changed the financing of the bond, reducing the overall property tax from 3.15 mills to 2.9 mills. The 0.75% sales tax remains unchanged in the proposal. With the shift of the Governmental Building project, the three components of the proposal total $298 million for public safety, $418 million for infrastructure improvements and $32 million for economic development/recreation.
The Metro Council will get its first look at the revised proposal when it is introduced at today’s council meeting; however, the members won’t vote to place it on the fall ballot until their Aug. 10 meeting. The council can choose to put one, all, or no components of the bond on the Nov. 19 ballot. Holden says he has no indication of how the council will vote. —Steve Sanoski
