Breaking – Legislature gives Lananna $25M, but not $3M for security

$0 for academics. Saul Hubbard has the news in the RG, here:

With two narrow, last-minute votes, lawmakers on Thursday boosted the state’s tax on hotel stays, a Eugene-driven proposal that took a tortuous path in the short legislative session.

House Bill 4146 would likely pave the way for a $25 million state subsidy for the 2021 World Track and Field Championships in Eugene, while also gathering more tax money for other tourism-related work around the state. It raises the current state lodging tax of 1 percent to 1.8 percent for four years, starting in July, and to 1.5 percent after that.

… However, lawmakers rejected another, separate subsidy request from TrackTown in the last days of session. Led by UO athletics executive Vin Lananna, the non-profit had sought $3 million from the state’s general fund to help cover security costs at the 2016 Indoor World Championships in Portland in March and the 2016 Olympic Trials in Eugene this summer. But lawmakers didn’t include any money for the events in the final budget.