More than 1 year after design decision first releasedNorthwestern University’s proposal to rebuild Ryan Field and hold public concerts there, along with two tax increases targeting large entertainment events, will be considered by the Evanston City Council at a special meeting Monday night. be.
Appeared in meeting agenda Prior to the stadium proposal, both tax increases had been recommended by Mayor Daniel Biss and would only apply to “entertainment events” attended by 5,000 or more people.they each Liquor tax will be doubled 6% to 12%, and increase entertainment tax 7% to 9% for such events.
Biss wrote in an email to the Roundtable that the increase was not the result of negotiations with Northwestern. He also explained that the liquor tax ordinance does not mean the city has decided to oppose the liquor tax proposal. Replace standard liquor tax Food and drink tax will be lower.
āSince the City Council is planning to consider permitting large-scale concerts, I thought they should also take a chance on the same topic, comparable to the Chicago concert. [amusement] The tax structure for such events,ā Biss wrote. āWith regard to liquor taxes, discussions at the Liquor Regulation Review Committee have revolved around the potential negative economic impact of liquor taxes due to the fact that consumers can easily choose substitutes across borders. “Obviously no one is going to go to, say, another Big Ten football game in the Evanston area because of this, so the economic considerations are very different.”
Because both tax increases are ordinances, they must pass a vote to be implemented at a special meeting on Monday, followed by a final vote to implement them at the next meeting on Monday, Nov. 13.
Draft concert plan lacks details
What is included in conference packet This is a draft memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city and the university that sets forth enforceable conditions for public concerts if the City Council approves a zoning amendment to allow public concerts at Ryan Field. .
Although the main MOU document is nearly complete, supplementary documents on key elements are still far from complete. Two schedules for public benefits and city services reimbursement being negotiated lack details, and the memo notes they are still to be announced.
The third schedule includes a draft transportation management plan for the concert, which begins with a memo calling it an “initial draft framework” that includes “preliminary explanations and exhibits.” Therefore, many sections contain placeholders that describe what will be there if the plan is fully developed.
The land use committee unanimously recommended rebuilding the stadium. October 11th, but voted 7-2 against amending the stadium’s zoning to allow concerts. Several commissioners who voted against the concert said they were unhappy with the university’s plans to manage the traffic, parking and noise impacts the concert would have on the surrounding area.