HELP! Need your input ASAP

At the beginning of the year I wrote several blog articles soliciting your input on a few issues, one of them the proposed Graham IV addition: .
Jan 11 – HELP! I STILL Need Some Advice;
Jan 19 – They Shoot! YOU Score! ;
Jan 27 – Run the City Like a Business ;
Feb 4 – HOT TOPIC – What Are Your Views on the Proposed Sports Facilities in Rochester?

I received a couple of replies mainly in favor of doing what we could for Rochester’s youth.

Well, I need your input again. On Tuesday, August 25, the County Board of Commissioners has invite the City Council to a joint Committee of the Whole to discuss among other things, the Graham IV hockey arena. Back in February the council agreed to join the County Board in supporting Rochester Youth Hockey’s plan to build this new arena to the tune of $900,000 each - $75,000 a year for 12 years. RYHA would fund a bit over 60%.

Now, as time moves on, the cost of the project has increased over $1,000,000 and the new request is for us (the Council and County Board) to each increase our contribution by $600,000 to a total of $1.5 M each. This would be payable at $100,000 a year for 15 years instead of $75,000 a year for 12 years.

I’ve taken a pledge to effectively and efficiently manage our tax dollars (one of my campaign goals from 2002 and actually restated in another blog on Jan 2,2006).

So my question to you is; Is this a good use of our tax dollars? For the kids? For added facilities at the Fairgounds? For bringing in visitors and sales tax $$$ to the city?

The County may have some bucks set aside that they can tap into but we don’t. I’m trying to think of a good place to get these kinds of $$$ besides tapping into our tax base. I have a couple of ideas but wonder what you think.