Councilman pushing $1 surcharge on pro sports tickets

[HMFFL]

Atlanta professional sports fans could pay more to see their teams play if a city councilman has his way.

Councilman Jim Maddox wants to tack on a $1 surcharge to tickets for professional sports events and major concerts held in the city.

The idea is to charge the fee on events held at large venues that seat thousands, such as the Georgia Dome, Turner Field, Philips Arena and the city-owned Lakewood Amphitheater.

The city is facing a $140 million budget shortfall, and Mayor Shirley Franklin has proposed a property tax increase to help fill the gap.

Council members spent the week in budget hearings looking for ways to avert an increase. Maddox pitched the surcharge idea, thinking the money could help defray some of the cost to have police officers work at the venues and for city crews to clean up afterward. Council members noted Atlanta has a $1 surcharge on city-owned venues.

"We need to at some point recapture some of these costs because we are in a [budget] crisis," Maddox, Atlanta's longest-serving councilman, said in an interview Thursday.


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