2007-12-21 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

To: Honorable Mayor Adams and City Council From: Julie Feier, City Manager Date: December 21, 2007 Subject: Weekly Update Municipal Parks Grant Commission The made their decision on the eighth grant round. Requests to the commission totaled $6.3 million. They were able to fund $3 million worth of projects, which equated to 17 of the 29 grant requests. University City had one of the top rated grants based on the Commission’s criteria and will receive $255,000 for the Ruth Park Golf Course Driving Range and Teaching Center. Congratulations to the golf and administrative staff for their research and effort on the application. There is a substantial amount of inaccurate information being spread on the topic. I encourage anyone with questions on the project to contact Golf Pro Ron Aikn or Parks, Recreation & Forestry Director, Nancy MacCartney, directly. model AT&T settlement ordinance The is attached along with the latest update from the County League. I need to know how you want the ordinance prepared for your January 15 agenda, with or without the contribution language. If there is not a clear consensus, I will leave it as it is and you can decide on the floor. AT&T Mobility (formerly AT&T Wireless and Cingular Wireless) has proposed a settlement that is very close to the Verizon Wireless settlement. A few issues should be called to your attention. Primarily for University City, we would be allowed to keep the interest on the tax protest payments made by AT&T Mobility made from 2002 to 2005. During that three-year period, AT&T Wireless paid approximately 21 municipalities under protest and then filed tax refund lawsuits against them including: University City, Blue Springs, Chesterfield, Ellisville, Ferguson, Florissant, Gladstone, Independence, Jennings, Kirkwood, Manchester, Maplewood, Maryland Heights, Northwoods, St. Louis, St. Joseph, Vinita Park, Warson Woods, Wellston, and Winchester. As with Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility would receive credit for all tax protest payments made during the two-year back tax period (9/1/05-8/31/07) and receive no credit for the interest on the protest payments during that period. Verizon Wireless did not begin paying under protest until 2006. The last issue relates to legal fees. AT&T Mobility is willing to pay what in effect amounts to approximately 20% of the back taxes for the class for the two-