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Erie PA News and Events for Thursday March 16, 2006
Posted by Dennis on March 16, 2006
Erie City Council is again jeopardizing the financial future of the City of Erie. A tax meant to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars will now generate nothing for the general fund and only grow the bloated employment level of the city. To generate revenue for the city which is millions of dollars away from being able to pay its bills, someone came up with the idea of a $40 per year fee on every rental unit. It would have raised about $400,000 for the general fund. Two bad things with this: a) almost everyone with a rental unit would pass it along to their tenants b) property values for rental properties would drop. Now that this already dumb idea has swirled and fermented around city hall, they have managed to complicated it so much that not a penny will go to the general fund. The proposed rental property fee is now up to $48 per unit. The fee will go toward paying for 4 inspectors to physically go around and check properties and the associated general bureaucracy. This is exactly what the housing inspector, the code inspector and the fire inspector are supposed to be doing right now. So instead of the money from the fee going to pay bills the city currently has, it will go toward new city employees at a time they should be clearing people out of city hall. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different outcome. So the tax payers of Erie are just insane to expect anything different than stupidity from our elected officials.
And then there’s the proposed 3 percent amusement tax. It would be a tax of 3 percent on tickets to events such as sporting events, arts events and other performances. City Council will discuss this at the meeting tonight. It passed a first reading by a vote of 6-1 last week with a second vote needed to make it law. Don’t think it will pass a second reading.
The Erie Coke Corporation has settled with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and will give $51,000 to the PA Clean Air Fund.
The Greater Erie Industrial Development Corporation will receive a $2.15 million Business in Our Sites grant and a $2.15 million BOS loan to help redevelop the former International Paper/ Hammermill Paper manufacturing site in Erie. The entire site, which consists of three parcels totaling 190 acres, will be redeveloped for industrial use. At least 350 jobs are expected to be created as a result of this $6.1 million project. Four businesses of the Erie Management Group will be relocating to the site.
Erie Management Group, led by Erie businessman Pat Black, has purchased the former YWCA site in Millcreek.
Robert W Speel, associate professor of political science at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, was one of four winners state wide or the Penn State 2006 George W Atherton Awards for Excellence in Teaching.
Alan Ware and Erie PA native Sal Clemente (formerly of ‘I Inside’) have written a mini-rock opera. The duo and Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra will perform “A Night at the Rock Opera” at The Regent Theatre in Arlington Mass through this weekend. They weree going to do an updated version of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” however they couldn’t get permission from Andrew Lloyd Webber. They highlight song from “A Night at the Rock Opera” is a song called “Andrew Lloyd Webber Said No.”
Fiction writer Aimee Bender will open the spring season of the Penn State Behrend Creative Writer’s Speaker Series. Bender will read from her works at 6 pm today, Thursday, March 16, in the college’s Smith Chapel. Her presentation is free and open to the public. A public reception will proceed the reading at 4:30 pm in the Smith Chapel living room.
John Corvino will speak at McGarvey Commons in Reed Union Building, Penn State Behrend tonight at 7:30 pm. His topic “Homosexuality, Morality, and Diversity.” This event is free and open to the public.
Folk singer and songwriter Izolda will hold a free concert on Friday, St Patrick’s Day at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, with a lunchtime performance. Her concert will begin at noon in Bruno’s Cafe in the Reed Student Union Building. It is free and open to the public. Izolda characterizes her music as “folk nouveau” – expect traditional Irish-Celtic folk music, Celtic-jazz fusion, a capella singing, and audience-participation rounds. The multi-talented artist plays guitar, violin, flute, recorder, fiddle and drum, often during the same song.
The Northwest PA Maple Association Taste and Tour Weekend will be held Saturday March 18 and Sunday March 19 from 10-4 each day. There are a number of sugarhouses participating in Crawford, Erie, Venango, and Mercer counties.
Rova Saxophone Quartet will appear in concert at the Erie Art Museum on Saturday, March 18. The show begins at 8 p.m. but it is preceded by a special “Meet the Composer” session starting at 7 p.m. for young musicians. Concert admission includes the pre-show session. Tickets for this event will be available at the door. General admission is $12, with members paying $10 and student/senior tickets going for $6.
The Erie Philharmonic will perform a pops concert on Saturday night March 18 at 8 pm. The Phil and singers celebrate the swing era from 1937-1955. For tickets call (814) 455-1375. They cost $45, $32, $24 and $15.
Erie Youth Soccer Association sign-ups for the 2006 season will be held Saturday March 18 at 9 am to 1:30 pm at Outback Steakhouse. Registration is $30 per player. Player’s age limits: as of September 1, 2006 for girls age 5-16 and boys age 5-15.
Aspiring sleuths will get a clue when the Penn State Behrend Matchbox Players host the murder mystery dinner “The Grapes of Frath” at 6 pm. Saturday, March 18, in the McGarvey Commons of the Reed Union Building. The dinner is open to the public, and dress for the event is formal. Cost is $5 for students and $15 for adults. Make dinner reservations at the Reed Union Building main desk between Wednesday, March 1, and Monday, March 13, or e-mail jkk167(at)psu.edu.
If you’d like to join the Millcreek Kiwanis Club, here’s your chance. On Monday, March 20, the Millcreek Kiwanis Club is opening its Membership Charter and is holding an evening meeting. The social begins at 5:30 pm and the meeting begins at 6:00 pm at the Blasco Library, the Admiral Room. Discover what fun it is to be a Kiwanian. Learn how they serve the Erie Community. Learn how you can become a member. Millcreek Kiwanis also meets each Wednesday morning at 7:30 am at the Avalon Hotel for a brief business meeting, informative local speaker and breakfast. Guests are always welcome.
Mitch Albom will speak at Mercyhurst College on Thursday, March 30, at 8 pm. His topic will be “Tuesdays with Morrie: Lessons for Living.” Albom’s speech will be free and open to the public. Tickets will be required and students will have first opportunity to get them. Tickets will be available at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center. Mercyhurst students can get one ticket each with their college ID beginning March 21. College faculty and staff will be able to get two tickets each beginning March 28. The general public can pick up tickets March 29 and 30. The box office is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 am to noon and 1 to 6 pm. and Saturdays from 11 am to 3 pm.
Former Gannon University basketball standout Geoff Husted playing for the Dakota Wizards has been named to the 2005-06 Continental Basketball Association (CBA) All-Rookie Team.
New equipment at Jerry Uht Park, home of the Erie SeaWolves in Erie, Pa, will include three large ProStar displays, a ProAd display and two amber LED displays purchased from Daktronics.
Posted by Dennis at March 16, 2006 7:12 AM
Comments
I have disagree with the fact that a $40 fee will raise peoples rent considerably, that’s only an extra $3.33 per month. Property values are not going to go down just because an owner has to pay and extra $40 per year. We are not talking about a large amount of money here. I think a landlord can handle an extra $3.33 per month, even if he has several properties. Yes, I understand that there are many slumlords out there that will take this opportunity to raise rents $20 a month because people are too stupid to realize that they are being taken advantage of. I think it is a great idea, it should be more like $100 per unit, per year.
I do agree with the fact that it is shame that all they are going to do with the money is hire more employees, but what did you expect from a democratic mayor, spend, spend, spend.
Posted by: Pete at March 16, 2006 8:30 AM
Go Dr. Speel! You definitely deserve the recognition.
Posted by: RichardZ.com at March 16, 2006 8:38 AM
Pete - I'm a real estate agent. Since February 1 there have been 268 rental properties sold in the city. The price people are willing to pay for an investment property have already gone down in anticipation of the fee.
I own one rental unit. I was going to raise the rent $10 beginning in January. I changed that to an extra $20 per month because I knew this was coming.
When they do the next reassessment they'll see that property values have dropped. And they'll take in fewer tax dollars.
Posted by: Dennis at March 16, 2006 9:14 AM
So your going to take advantage of your tenant and charge them an extra $240 this year for a $40 fee that you have to pay. The math just doesn't add up. Why anyone would let a landlord get away with this is beyond comprehension.
If I was a landlord I would welcome this fee, maybe now the city will be able to get rid of some of these slumlords. Inspections of rentals in the city of Erie has long been over due. Although, what will four inspectors really be able to get accomplished anyways. I work in real estate and I have personally seen many run down rentals and it’s a shame that nothing is ever done about them. I say hire 25 inspectors and get rid of these run down properties and maybe respectable owners will fix them up and values will go up.
Posted by: Pete at March 16, 2006 10:30 AM
I don't get the effort behind the fight of the amusement tax. Sixty cents on a $20 ticket? Does the entertainment contingent in Erie really think that people are going to say, "You know, I was going to go to that play / concert / museum / game but I can't afford that $0.21 extra on my $7 ticket."?
Posted by: eden at March 16, 2006 11:28 AM
Eden, they addressed that exact thought on the news last night. They aren't overly concerned with the tax, as it stands now. The important thing to remember is just because it's starting at 3% but it could easily jump to 5%, 10%, ??%.
It's a lot harder to repeal a tax once it's in place and it's really easy to raise that tax once it's established.
As such the entertainment industry in Erie would rather give the city a lump sum payment this year and next year then succumb to a tax which has the very good potential to rise in the future.
Posted by: Nick at March 16, 2006 4:04 PM
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