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53 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, April 21, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 7, 2005 City eyes a tax on car rental Income from the proposed tax would pay for sports park ballfields and other items. Voters rejected a sports park bond issue in November By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune The city of Medford is considering a 5 percent car rental tax to pay for a $5.3 million, 20-year bond to build ballfields at the new sports park and a gym at the Santo Community Center. The fee translates into $2 on a $40 car rental, said Kim Daniels, regional director of Budget car rentals in Oregon. The tax wouldn’t be a big hit to customers, but it would mean more paperwork for rental companies, she said. "All I’m thinking is what the impact would be to my customers and employees," said Daniels. "It just adds another fee that’s not optional." She said she may support the tax but needs to weigh costs and benefits first. With the failure of the sports park bond before voters in November, the city has been looking for other funding sources. Advertisement The measure would have authorized the sale of $10 million in bonds to help develop the 132-acre park on Highway 99 between Lowry Lane and South Stage Road. The total price tag has been estimated at $18 million. The city in 2002 purchased the former Heitkamp farm property for the sports park with $5.7 million in bonds. The bonds will be paid partly through a hotel/motel tax increase in 2001 and business license fees. With the new $5.3 million bond, about $3.64 million would go toward four softball/baseball fields and $1.5 million would go toward a gym for basketball and volleyball at the community center. About $159,000 would be needed for bonding costs and contingency funds. The 5 percent car rental tax would generate an estimated $225,000 per biennium, according to Brian Sjothun, parks and recreation department director. Sjothun said the idea is modeled after Multnomah County’s 12 percent car rental tax, which has been in place since 1970. Most of Medford’s car rental businesses are at the Medford airport. Daniels said the tax would mean tourists and visitors would be paying for the ballfields, even though they’re the least likely to use them. But tapping tourists and visitors is part of the idea. "They don’t pay taxes here; this is one of the few ways we can collect taxes from them," said Medford City Manager Mike Dyal. He added that once the field is built, the city anticipates hosting tournaments, so visitors could very well benefit. Sjothun said this is just the first step. "In order for us to be able to tax the people that use the sports park, we need to build a sports park," he said. Julie Petretto, executive vice president of the Medford Visitors and Convention Bureau, supports the idea of the tax. "I think it’s a good thing — it’s definitely a revenue source," she said, preferring it to a meal tax like Ashland’s. The Medford City Council is scheduled to discuss the tax at its April 28 study session. Voting is tentatively set for the May 5 council meeting. If approved, the tax could be in place as soon as July, said Dyal. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Tatoos Advertisement s