El Pasoans were never allowed to vote on constructing a Ballpark in downtown El Paso or demolishing City Hall to build one. They were never asked whether it is a good idea for government to get into the entertainment business.
City Manager Joyce Wilson, Steve Ortega, and their minions claimed the Ballpark would cost only $50 million, and then the price increased to $64 million. The City demolished $14.8 million worth of real estate and then moved its offices into a half-dozen different locations, each of which had to be separately renovated. The total cost to the taxpayers has exceeded $150 million.
The voters were then sold on increasing the Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) to 17.5%, one of the highest in America, diverting tens of millions of dollars to the Ballpark rather than funding tourist initiatives that would broadly benefit the hotel industry.
In spite of promises of profitability, the taxpayers were forced to contribute $3,676,889 from the General Fund from 2014 through 2021, with the HOT subsidy providing an additional $35,619,280 from 2014 through 2024.
Obviously, without the Hotel Occupancy Tax, the Ballpark would have gone into financial default a decade ago. Amazingly, the City continue to refer to the HOT as revenue rather than as a subsidy, which is what it actually is.
We recently filed a public information request from the City and learned that in FY 2024 the Ballpark received $4,104,728 in Hotel Occupancy Tax.
Revenues in 2024 totaled only $771,141 and consisted of $303,941 from ticket sales (down 8.4% from the previous year), $67,609 from leases (down 75.4%), $145,683 from charges for services (parking fees, etc.), and $253,908 from investment interest.
The expenditures in 2024 totaled $4,162,307, and consisted of $2,470,882 in bond interest, $1,670,000 in bond principal, and $21,425 in legal and administrative costs.
Subtracting the revenues from the expenditures, the Ballpark lost $3,391,166 in 2024.
Moreover, we learned that from 2017 through 2023, the City spent $5,649,616 for maintenance and upgrades, including $1,707,851 for a new video board and $610,250 for turf replacement in 2023.
And then there is the lost revenue from leasing taxpayer-funded parking to MountainStar Sports Group for $1.21 per space, which the company then sells to the public for at least $10 during games.
And then there is the cost of providing security at events, which is also borne by the taxpayers.
Joyce Wilson is the gift that keeps on giving.
PHOTO CREDIT: KFOX14