Page 12 THE COMMUNITY CRIER: October 23,1996 STATE PROPOSALS PROPOSAL A A REFERENOUiff ON PUBLIC ACT 118 OF 1994—AN ACT TO AMEND CERTAIN SECTIONS OF MICHI- ------------------- GAN’S BINGO ACT Public Act 118 of 1994 would: , . . . . . .
1) Change the definition of a qualified organization which is permitted to sponsor certain forms of gaming includ ing bingo, millionaire parties, and raffles, so that an organization which is organized under the Michigan Campaign Finance Act, including a candidate committee, political committee, political party committee, ballot question committee, or independent committee, is no longer qualified to receive a license to sponsor such gam- 2) Permit a change in the single maximum prize or payout for a charity game sold by a licensed religious, educa tional, service, senior citizens, fraternal or veterans organization. Should this law be approved?
YES NO PROPOSAL B off S ° SAL T0 amend e state c0NST,TUT!0tl T0 establish qualifications for judicial The proposed constitutional amendment would: L 1!X. .x 1) Specify that a person must have been admitted to the practice of law for at least 5 years to be qualified to serve as a trial court judge, an appeals court judge or a supreme court justice. 2) Provide that this requirement does not apply to any judge or justice appointed or elected to a judicial office prior to the date the requirement becomes a part of the constitution. Should this proposed constitutional amendment be adopted?
YES NO P U flP fW M P A PROPOSAL TO'ESIABUSH THFCORRENTMICHIGAN VETERANS’TRUST FUND IN THE STATE CON- rnuruam. u smunoN mid require that expenditures from the fund be made solely for purposes AUTHORIZED BY THE TRUST FUND’S BOARD OF TRUSTEES Theproposed constitutional amendment would: 1) Establish the current Michigan Veterans’ Trust Fund and the Board of Trustees responsible for admimstenng the fund in the state constitution. L1. , J 2) Require the transfer of all funds in the existing Michigan Veterans’ Trust Fund to the constitutionally established Michigan Veterans’ Trust Fund. 3) Authorize the State Treasurer to direct investment of the fund.
4i Stipulate that except for the State Treasurer’s investment actions, an expenditure or transfer of a fund asset, inter est. or earnings could be made only upon the authorization of a majority of the fund’s Board of Trustees. Should this proposed constitutional amendment be adopted? YES NO Retired lawmaker Carl Pursell is leading the fight against Proposal S, which would tax car rentals and hotel rooms in Wayne County to help pay for new Detroit Lions and Tiger stadiums. (Crier photo by R. Alwood, Jr.) PRnprrcAi n a legislative initiative to limit bear hunting season and prohibit the use of bait and rn u ru o w L u dogs to hunt bear Theproposed law would:
Pursell leads fight against County stadium proposal 1) Prohibit the use of bait and dogs to hunt bears at anytime. 2) Prohibit bear hunting during open season for deer, bobcat and raccoon if baiting or hunting with dogs is per mitted during these seasons. 3) Create penalties for violations, including temporary and permanent denial of hunting license. 4) Allow individuals to sue for damages caused by violations and to seek injunctions. 5) Allow bear hunting by any method by government officios acting in their official capacity and for any person act ing in defense of Irfe. Should the proposed law be adopted? BY BRIAN CORBETT YES NO They agree that the outcome of Proposal S on the Nov.
5 is not the deciding factor in Detroit’s future. PROPOSAL E A LEGISLAT1VE initiative to permit casino gaming in qualified cities But their mutual feelings stop there. There’s no shortage of differing opinions between supporters and opponents of Proposal S, or the stadium proposal as it is also known. The proposed law would: 1) Permit up to three gaming casinos in arty city that meets the following qualifications: has a population of 800,000 or more: is located within 100 miles of any other state or country in which gaming is permitted; and has had casi no gaming approved by a majority of the voters in the city. 2) Establish a Gaming Control Board to regulate casino gaming.
3) Impose an 18% state tax on gross gaming revenues. 4) Allocate 55% of tax revenue to host city for crime prevention and economic development; allocate remaining 45% of tax funds to state for public education. Should the proposed law be adopted? The stadium proposal seeks to fund a sports-entertainment complex in downtown Detroit through a “tourist tax.” Two new stadiums, one for the Tigers and another for the Lions, would be built. The 2000 completion date would coincide with the completion of a $1.6 billion expansion of Metro Airport. Those are the facts. Opinions of the future differ.
Sue Hall, a stadium proposal supporter and president pro-tem of the Southgate City Council, said it would increase national exposure and improve Metro Detroit’s image by hosting Super Bowls, basketball tournaments and conventions, and create 5,000 jobs and other economic spinoffs. The funds to build the stadiums will be attained through taxes on car rentals and hotel rooms, which are designed to have minimal effect on Wayne County residents, Hall said. The taxes would cost 80 cents a day on a $40 car rental charge, and 70 cents for an average hotel room. “If you do not rent a car for less than thirty days or do not stay in a hotel room, it won’t cost you a dime,” she said.
YES NO PRHPflQAI R A REFERENDUM ON PUBLIC ACT 377 OF 1996-AN AMENDMENT REGARDING THE MANAGEMENT OF rn u rU O H L U MICHIGAN’S WILDUFE POPULATIONS Public Act 377 of 1996 would: 1) Grant the Natural Resources Commission the exclusive authority to regulate the taking of game including bear hunting. (Currently under the authority of the director of the Department of Natural Resources.) 2) Require the National Resources Commission to utilize “principles of sound scientific management” in making decisions regarding the taking of game and to minimize human/bear encounters.
3) Require that a public meeting be held prior to the issuance of any orders by the Natural Resources Commission regarding the taking of game. Should this Taw be approved? But Carl Pursell fears Detroit’s framework for renaissance is chipping away at Detroit’s core. Pursell, a Plymouth Township resident, former Republican U.S. Representative and former Wayne County Commissioner, calls the proposed $240 million public contribution “corporate welfare.” YES NO WAYNE COUNTY PROPOSALS Hall compared the effects that the stadiums could have to the construction of the Ford/Mazda Flat Rock plant years ago, which revitalized many downriver communities.
“There’s a lot of things that are going to revitalize Detroit. The Empowerment Zone is one of them. The stadium issue is one of them,” Hall said. Independent Counsel For County Commission Authorized Shall the Wayne County Home Rule Charter be amended by adding Section 3.120 to authorize appointment of an independent commission counsel to assert and defend the legal rights, powers, and duties of the County Commission-and by deleting the duty of the Corporation Counsel in Section 4.312 to provide legal services to the commission?
Pursell said Detroit’s leaders, particularly Mayor Dennis Archer, are ignoring the problems with education and are instead using County money to fund the project for Tigers owner Mike Illitch and Lions owner William Clay Ford, both billionaires. “I’d say, ‘Mr. Ford build the stadium yourself. We’re not opposed to the stadium, but build it yourself just like (Pistons owner) Bill Davidson did’,” he said.
YES NO Shall Section 5.113 of the Wayne County Charter be repealed effective November 30,1997 and shall Section 3.119 be amended to give the Auditor General rather than the Chief Executive Officer power to engage an independent external auditor to prepare a comprehensive annual financial report; and to give the Auditor General express power to audit the operations and administration of all county agencies for compliance with ordinances, regulations and other laws? Auditor General Powers Defined Hall countered by saying Oakland County did assist Davidson during the construction of The Palace of Auburn Hills by improving surrounding infrastructure.
“The dollars used for the stadium will be just that — infrastructure,” she said. Hall added it’s common practice in 1990s to contribute public dollars to private sports facilities. Take a look at St. Louis and Jacksonville, two NFL franchises that shared none of the costs associated with their new stadiums, she said. YES NO PROPOSITION “SM—Wayne County Stadium Proposition In addition to having its priorities confused, the county “tourist tax” is unfair, Pursell said. “This is not a ‘tourist tax.’ It’s pure and simple an excise tax, and it’s a hidden tax,” he said.
Shall Wayne County be authorized, and an ordinance approved, to levy an excise tax of 1% of gross receipts from charges for accommodations provided to transient guests, and 2% of gross receipts from motor vehicle rentals for less than thiity days, primarily to secure and tuna rentals by the county to the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium ^Authority, which has been created by the county to acquire a new professional baseball stadium (as defined in Public Act 18Q of 1991), to be developed near the site of a panned new football stadium for the Detroit Lions, which taxes shall be levied until the obligations are retired but for no longer than thirty years and shall not secure net bond pro ceeds in excess of $80 million; and shall the county use the excise tax revenues to lease the new baseball stadium, and then sublease the stadium to Die City of Detroit Downtown Development Authority, which snail in turn make the stadium available for use by the Detroit Tigers?
, lft YES NO Pursell said the slogan “Wayne County’s ticket to the future won’t cost you a dime” used by the Committee to Rebuild Detroit & Wayne County in pamphlet literature is misleading. He said supporters have falsely claimed endorsements from hotel owners, including the Mayflower, and politicians. Hall said she double-checked the endorsement listing Monday, which includes no Plymouth-Canton officials, and found no errors.