Please show your support for Moto GP in Austin, Texas...

OK, HERE'S THE DEAL:



This is IT. Circuit of the Americas needs every one of you who supports this project to help by showing your support for F1!



There is still one more hurdle to clear. We need to win a vote in the Austin City Council in order to gain its endorsement. It seems like the Austin City Council will vote our way, but they want to know they have popular support, even from around the world. The opposition is trying their best this time to match our efforts, and you never know how much effect a very vocal, relentless, and utterly dishonest minority can have in this town...so even though we had a fantastic results in the last meeting (emails to the Council, online petition signatures, and an overwhelming majority at the Council Chambers), we need to absolutely overwhelm EVERYONE with a MASSIVE show of support by this Wednesday at 10am US Central Time.



If you're in the Austin area, go on down to City Hall to show your support during the Council Special Session at 10am on Wednesday. Get there early, too, because (1) Circuit of the Americas Gear to identify us will be passed out until it's gone, (2) it takes some time getting through the line to register your support, and it's IMPORTANT to do that. Also, the Fire Marshal cut off admittance last week once the chambers were full. If you have F1/CoTA hats/gear, wear em. If you have something to say, sign up to speak (or you can donate time to other speakers if you like).



If you can't be there, go sign up in favor anyway before the session. I believe you may be able to do that on Tuesday as well. Bring everyone you can. Spread the word.



We know you fans outside of Austin may not make it to the meeting, but you really can help...probably a lot more than you think you can!



What we need:





- Direct emails of support sent to council members...beginning tonight. Don't be shy. Send more than one if you like, & it can be short & sweet. We need quantity. That's what the council looks for. Title your email so that it shows your support.



( [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] )



- Petition signatures. Every time the petition is signed, an email of support is sent to the council. Sign the petition here: http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-the-austin-city-council-to-vote-yes-on-formula-1 .



- Call your friends, family, coworkers or anyone else who supports Moto GP, F1, and/or the Circuit of the Americas and what it will bring to the City. Get them to help in any or all of the above ways!!



Please, take the time to show your support and get others to do so with you. This is your last opportunity to show the Austin City Council that you want this project! Ever feel like you never have a voice in today's crazy politics? Here's your chance to make a meaningful difference on something that really matters!











Thank you all SO MUCH for your help and support!



Tim Wood

Jumkie said:

Curve, your enthusiasm and attendance is needed.

Click to expand...

Hey Jumkie, judging from that photo in your profile, you might enjoy this video of mine:



[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFsnfEKaGF4[/media]



On vacation a few days ago the wife and I were driving from San Francisco to Monterey and were lucky enough to hitch a little free ride.

Hi again guys!



First, I want to thank every one of you who helped in any way...and I think I can speak as well for Circuit of the Americas when I say that they thank you, too! Every little bit of effort that went into this made a huge difference in a process that was in doubt at times. It was definitely a team effort.



It was a VERY long day on Wednesday, but after this long grind it was pretty fantastic to be there to hear Mayor Leffingwell give the final vote tally of 5-2.









As for the Major Events Trust Fund, there are a lot of ahem misconceptions going around about it. I've pasted below some clips from stories and responses I've written about F1 and the METF. Here's how it really works. Here's more METF info than you can shake a stick at.







About the METF:



METF Website: http://www.texasahead.org/tax_programs/event_fund/metf.html



METF Approvals to date and the amounts reimbursed for each: http://www.texasahead.org/tax_programs/event_fund/approvals/



-The METF is a program that enriches the state’s tax coffers and pays for itself via sales tax moneys generated by the very events in question. It is designed to encourage the influx of money into the state from the outside to be spent and spent again, thus TAXED and TAXED AGAIN every time it's spent, generating MORE money for state programs. Reimbursement comes only from sales taxes attributable to the event in question. If you don't attend the race, you aren't paying into the $25M. No play, no pay.



-The METF was created for exactly this type of event. The program is specifically designed to assist cities in attracting and paying for events which will draw spectators from out-of-state who will bring their money with them and inject it into the Texas economy. The more money an event can demonstrate that it'll bring from out of state, the more reimbursement they'll be eligible for from the fund. This is why events like the Super Bowl, the NCAA Final Four, and F1 get much larger reimbursements than do events like NASCAR at Texas Motor Speedway, which is attended overwhelmingly by Texans. NO other project will do this better than Circuit of The Americas. People will travel here from Europe, but not for just a day or two like they do for most other events. They're going to make a trip of it and see Austin and Central Texas.



-Since the METF began, it has paid benefits to 224 events by my count, ranging from ~$3000 for the Little Dribblers Boys Basketball Tournament in Levelland and $6000 for the USTA Boys 14-and-Under Championships in Frisco to $31 Million for the Super Bowl in Arlington. Events that have taken part in the fund also include the Latin Grammy Awards, the MillerCoors Annual Distributor Conference, the MLB, MLS, and MLB All-Star games, 2 ChampCar races, and many, MANY more. So the METF is OK for use by all kinds of events, large and small, sporting and other, in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and the rest of the state, but not for Austin or F1? Interesting.



-This program has not been a giveaway of funding where the the money goes bye-bye, is never seen again, and never produces anything in return. I'm as opposed to that kind of outlay as anyone, anywhere. Cutting off funding for projects like these is short-sighted, ill-conceived, and is nothing more than self-serving political grandstanding to the detriment of the taxpayer.



-The argument that we’re taking funding from Nursing Homes, Emergency Services, or Teachers to pay for race cars simply doesn’t fly, at least if you want to take a factual (not emotional or agenda-serving) look at the matter. This money CANNOT be diverted to be spent on Education, Emergency Services, Roads, or ANYTHING else without major legislation at the state level. Mind you, I’m a Firefighter married to a Second Grade Teacher, so in this house we do look at these issues with a critical eye. No teachers, firefighters, cops, or paramedics are being denied a single dime if this project is funded by the METF. If Austin isn't reimbursed for this project, the money will simply sit in the METF until some other city comes along and applies successfully for it.













How it works:



From the above link:



"The Major Events Trust Fund applies local and state gains from sales and use, auto rental, hotel and alcoholic beverage taxes generated over a 12-month period from certain major sporting championships or events to pay costs incurred from hosting the event...



The trust fund can be used to pay costs related to preparing for or conducting the event, including equipment, or to pay principal and interest on notes used to build or improve facilities. One hundred percent of allowable expenses can be funded provided sufficient tax receipts are deposited in the trust fund.



An event, which must not be held more than once per year, expected to generate at least $15 million in local and state tax receipts is eligible for prior funding to attract and secure the event. If the event recurs, the previous year’s receipts can be used to attract and secure subsequent events."



-Application parameters: "Application Deadline: Not earlier than one year and not later than 3 months before the event". In other words, access to the fund must be applied for annually. It has NOT been committed for 10 years. Ergo, despite what has been claimed ad nauseum by those in opposition, $250M has not been committed.



-If access to the fund is granted for any subsequent year, then an amount is granted to the host city based on actual sales taxes attributable to the event. The next year's allocation of funds is based on the "additional sales tax" performance of the previous event. In other words, if the event doesn't pull its weight, funding will decrease or be denied entirely.





-For example, here's an excerpt from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that describes how the fund was used for the Super Bowl::



“The Texas Comptroller has agreed to make $31.2 million available from the state’s Major Events Trust Fund to defray police, fire and other related costs for Super Bowl XLV next year in Arlington, the North Texas Super Bowl Host Committee said Friday. The money, which comes from hotel, alcohol, sales, and rental car taxes paid by out-of-towners who come to the Super Bowl, ensures that area taxpayers won’t be on the hook for any public safety-related costs for the big game, said Bill Lively, the host committee’s chief executive.”



-The city's endorsement comes with no financial risk. The city will never pay money into the METF endorsement deal for this event and can pull out of it at any time.



-Texas isn't paying anything in the long run - it's agreeing to forgo the EXTRA tax from one flagship event in order to secure a revenue stream from the rest of the activity at the track. The extra sales tax revenue from, for example, year 1 is then used to replenish the fund for the next year, and then we start over. In the final year of reimbursement, no money is reimbursed to the event or its host city, it goes back into the fund to cover the initial outlay.

This just in:



http://www.statesman.com/blogs/cont...011/07/01/judge_rules_against_formula_on.html



Judge deals potentially "lethal blow" (their words) to lawsuit against METF funding of F1.



-tim-