Hadley wants ticket tax
Surcharge for Mullins Center events might help roads
From The Associated Press, as appeared in The Massachusetts Daily Collegian, March 10, 1994

BOSTON (AP) - State legislators were asked Wednesday to settle a dispute between the University of Massachusetts and the town of Hadley, which wants to add a $1 tax to the price of tickets for events held at the school's new arena.

Hadley officials say they need the money to help pay for police and road maintenance expenses to accommodate traffic to the William D. Mullins Memorial Center.

But UMass officials say the surcharge would hurt the center's ability to compete with other cities for concerts and other entertainment events that are needed to help balance the arena's budget.

The arena sits in Hadley, next to the main campus in Amherst. Roberta Crosbie, town administrator for Hadley, told the Legislature's Taxation Committee on Wednesday the town loses $465,000 a year in revenues because the arena and other university facilities are exempt from property taxes.

Supporters of the ticket tax said it could raise up to $300,000 a year for the town.

“Our needs far exceed our revenues,” Crosbie said. “The users are paying in this. We are not taxing the university.”

The ticket surcharge would only apply to for-profit events at the center, which has hosted the Boston Pops and pop singer Elton John since it opened last year.

The charge would not be added to education-related or athletic events, such as UMass basketball games.

Richard Conner, director of state relations at UMass, said the university did not disagree that the center has had an impact on Hadley.

“We would just differ over how to solve these problems,” he said.

Former state Rep. Kenneth Lemanski, who is now the university's director of governmental relations, said the Legislature faces two options: rejecting the ticket tax and giving money to Hadley or passing the ticket tax, which would increase the chances of a budget deficit at the center and possibly require a state bailout.

But Rep. Angelo Scaccia, D-Boston, co-chairman of the committee, suggested the university might be able to negotiate an agreement with the town.

“There is a direct burden” on Hadley, which is looking for some financial relief, he said.