Tim Euler is the councilman-elect for District D and he will take office in late December of this year.
He made a comprehensive post on his “Tim Euler for Shreveport City Council” Face Book page this past Friday regarding the proposed Caddo Parish Sports Complex; here is a summary.
“I cannot support the current proposal to fund the sports complex through approximately $60 million in new taxpayer-backed debt.”
Euler states that he strongly supports youth sports and believes a first-class sports complex would bring tremendous opportunities to Caddo Parish.
He states his concern is not with the vision, but whether taxpayers have been given enough information and whether there has been a full review of the most fiscally responsible way to accomplish the vision.
Euler posed the following questions:
“Where exactly are we building it?
What exactly are we building?
Is $60 million in taxpayer-backed debt the most fiscally responsible way to pay for it?
Who is paying for the considerable yearly costs and upkeep?”
He points out that “no tax increase” is not the same as “no taxpayer cost.”
Euler notes that debt still means principal and interest that taxpayers must repay over time, and that citizens should have been given comparisons on borrowing $60 million, $40 million and $20 million , including the annual debt service and total long-term cost of each option.
Euler ends his post saying
“Too many important questions about the location, final scope, total cost, private investment, and financing remain unanswered. We can support the vision while still demanding fiscal responsibility.”
