If you left a message, I would assume that you will be hearing back from him as soon as he gets back from vacation. I will let him speak for the details. I just asked the question of "is the TDC trying to pass another 1/2 cent" and got a "no, this is the ordinance for the first 1/2 cent that was passed by the County Commission a while ago."
You are correct. Mr. Mares and I just had a phone conversation concerning the "Public Hearing Notice" - he called while on vacation to discuss the Notice.
Just to be totally transparent on our process:
1. We called Mr. Mares office this morning and were told that he was on vacation. No one gave us a cell phone number to reach him while on vacation.
2. We called a member of the TDC board and asked about the Notice and they were unaware of the Notice and what it was for.
3. We called a county commissioner and had a conversation with them about the "Notice of Public Hearing" and they had no insight into the ad or its purpose.
After discussing this with the TDC director he states that the hearing is a part of the Statute dealing with the legal requirements for passing an "ordinance" dealing with the 1/2 cent previously voted on as a "resolution" that the board passed earlier (from 4 to 41/2 cents).
The TDC Director states that this "Notice For A Public Hearing" and the RFP for a Cultural and Sports Complex are not connected.
Our understanding of the structure of the various components of the TDC bed tax structure are restricted as to their purpose and would not allow for funding of the "Cultural Center and Sports Complex" without another 1/2 cent increase if the economic feasibility study indicates that the project were feasible.
The Bed tax statute limits the total tax allowable under the law at 5 cents and an allowable use for the remaining available tax would be for "Sports Complexes".
Note: The time elapsed from the original post to Mr. Mares call was 43 minutes while he was on vacation.