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Thread: Higgins proposes community ownership for Bills

  1. #1
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    Higgins proposes community ownership for Bills

    http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/271577.html
    By Gene Warner
    Updated: 02/08/08 9:49 AM

    Rep. Brian Higgins today asked the National Football League to amend its constitution to allow partial community ownership of the Buffalo Bills, borrowing from the model of how the Green Bay Packers are owned.

    Higgins released a copy of a letter he wrote NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, in which he also asked that the league allow the Bills to be owned under a hybrid approach, with a majority "traditional" owner and a minority stake held by the community.

    "The Bills are a regional treasure and part of the fabric of our community," Higgins stated. "Community ownership in the Bills would give the Buffalo fans that built this franchise a real role in steering the future of this team."

    For full story, see Saturday's Buffalo News.

    I have to admit, I don't follow the Bills and I don't know much about how it is operated, but:
    1. Don't the Bills lease the stadium from EC? And if so, does that mean they do not pay property taxes?
    2. Doesn't the county provide security?
    3. Haven't we paid for many improvements?
    Ownership without equity or benefit?
    Is this what granpabob had in mind when he said the other shoe is about to drop?

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    WAKE UP !
    Buffalo's is the 2nd poorest city in the country, and most likely
    the 1st by now. Even if the County builds a 900 million to 1 Billion
    dollar new stadium. They will have to raise property and sales taxes, fees
    add surcharges alot etc...
    The Bills will still leave because they can make alot more money
    in Toronto or other US cities. Their's not a enough of a market
    to sell luxury suits at top NFL prices or get top NFL price tickets in Buffalo.

    Do you know what Buffalo's going to be like in
    5 years

    How much more population will have left

    How much the taxbase will have skrunk and
    how expensives will have gone up !

    How many more vacant houses & buildings will
    Buffalo have 50,000

    How much more taxes will have gone up

    How many more people will be on the City, Town, County
    payroll

    How many more Mfg. plants will have been closed and
    how many more jobs will have been lost
    Last edited by VegasDude; February 9th, 2008 at 10:07 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by VegasDude
    WAKE UP !
    Buffalo's is the 2nd poorest city in the country, and most likely
    the 1st by now. Even if the County builds a 900 million to 1 Billion
    dollar new stadium. They will have to raise property and sales taxes, fees
    add surcharges alot etc...
    The Bills will still leave because they can make alot more money
    in Toronto or other US cities. Their's not a enough of a market
    to sell luxury suits at top NFL prices or get top NFL price tickets in Buffalo.

    Do you know what Buffalo's going to be like in
    5 years

    How much more population will have left

    How much the taxbase will have skrunk and
    how expensives will have gone up !

    How many more vacant houses & buildings will
    Buffalo have 50,000

    How much more taxes will have gone up

    How many more people will be on the City, Town, County
    payroll

    How many more Mfg. plants will have been closed and
    how many more jobs will have been lost
    if thats the case, then hell, lets do it!

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    Quote Originally Posted by DrizzyFiasco
    if thats the case, then hell, lets do it!

    WNY will have 2 empty stadiums. O did we forget Ralph Wilson
    Stadium in Orchard Park, how many more hundres of millions of dollars will that cost to tear it down too. It's true, what's the difference , if your paying 50 times higher taxes then the national average or 100 times higher taxes
    then the national average.

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    [QUOTE=cookie]http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/271577.html
    By Gene Warner
    Updated: 02/08/08 9:49 AM

    "The Bills are a regional treasure and part of the fabric of our community," Higgins stated. "Community ownership in the Bills would give the Buffalo fans that built this franchise a real role in steering the future of this team."

    QUOTE]

    I think local ownership is the way to go. It needs to be like Greenbay to the extent it can with Erie county or a new 'agency' being the majority owner. If Ralph wants to pay back WNY for all the money he has made on us over the years, he should donate the team to WNY as part of his will. This will save him a lot of estate tax that I know he is worried about. Then stock can be sold to the public, at reasonable prices.

    As far as a new stadium goes, no one is asking for one yet. However, if it becomes a requirement building one downtown as a stadium/convention center combo, would allow it to be used year round. The Bass pro site can be used as I don't think anyone cares if Bass pro comes here anymore. Or, the Indians can 'own' the new stadium, and rent it to the Bills for the 8-10 games. The Indians can have huge gambling events in it the rest of the time.

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    Didn't They just get 2 new score boards at the Ralph

    How many millions of dollars did the
    Erie County taxpayers just spend on a jumbo screen score board, or wait ! , they just got a ribbon scoreboard too, How millions of dollars did that
    cost too.

    Didn't the control board have to borrow money to pay for them.
    When you borrow, you have to pay interest,

    ONLY IN BUFFALOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

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    I thought the scoreboard was a sign to stay. Apparently Buffalo just wastes money and BS

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by VegasDude
    Didn't They just get 2 new score boards at the Ralph

    How many millions of dollars did the
    Erie County taxpayers just spend on a jumbo screen score board, or wait ! , they just got a ribbon scoreboard too, How millions of dollars did that
    cost too.
    The scoreboard/ribbon scoreboard was 5 million

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    With all the money WNY'ers have spent (aside from filling the seats game after game) it seems we have fulfilled the expense side of ownership already. If the community becomes owners, how much more will it cost us? And if Ralph cannot make enough money, how will that change with the community owning it?
    I don't see how that will sell any more luxury boxes than are already owned.

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    VegasDud is back to being is old Troll self, I see...

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    Politicians will now be in spin control. None of them want to go down in history with being associated with losing the Bills.

    One thing Higgins forgets in all this is that Ralph Wilson has consistently been on record as saying he will not sell the team. Upon his death the team will be sold to the highest bidder.

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    This just in.......

    Byron Brown, Brian Higgins, Chuck Schumer and Larry Quinn announced that there will be a press conference Monday morning at the Memorial Auditorium Site. They are going to announce that the Bass Pro deal if off the table and they are going to use the money toward a new 65,000 seat domed stadium to be built on a yet-to-be-determined site along the waterfront!!!!!!




    They figure by the time they negotiate with the NFTA for the property

    Do an economic impact study

    Fight with the environmentalists in court over what will happen to the displaced seaguls

    Negotiate with the unions over labor contracts

    Get the proper bonding in place

    that the stadium will be built in the year 2068!!!!!!!


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    while I don't understand why the NFL has banned the ability for the residents of cities to own their own teams like the Packers, I don't think the gov't has any business telling them to change their rules
    Vote for freedom, not political parties.
    Politicians need to cut spending

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    Quote Originally Posted by Enough
    Upon his death the team will be sold to the highest bidder.
    because thanks to estate taxes even if his heirs want to keep it the tax bill will be so much that the only way to pay the tax will be to sell the team
    Vote for freedom, not political parties.
    Politicians need to cut spending

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    I thought since our taxes fund this cretin and his profit, this was already a community ownership? Our elected political filth don't seem to understand that our money is NOT enough. This new county leader moron even went as far as to suggest maybe a new stadium on the waterfront! Yeah that WON'T work!!! Ticket prices will continue to spiral out of control until the NFL falls on it's own sword and the fan base is solely the corporate elite. Don't waste my tax dollars on this crap! Yeah, let's close up waterfront property for all but eight days a year for football. At least there will be an enormous empty parking lot or ramp or both to stare at when driving by the 'new' waterfront. Who elected these idiots?

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