Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Kuna city taxpayers on the hook for ballfields project

The city of Kuna already has spent several thousand dollars on making sure the city park ballfields will be ready in time for opening day of the youth baseball season April 10.
Several thousand more dollars likely will be necessary in the coming weeks to get the job done.
Kuna city engineer Gordon Law said that the parks budget has about $8,000 in unspent money from a capital expense that he can use toward finishing the ballpark, including buying backstop netting and sod.
But City Council member Rich Cardoza is even more concerned about future expenses related to advertising and promotional expenses that have been promised to business owners.
Cardoza’s concern seems to be a harbinger of potential problems. The question remains as to whether the Kuna Baseball Park Redevelopment Committee accepted money in exchange for promises of advertising signs and pavers and naming rights and whatever else. At least one business owner has informed the city that he paid $5,000 in exchange for advertising. Is the city now on the hook for these promises?
I hope a financial accounting is done soon so we can sort this out.

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