Fee delays discuss on The Phrase Video games deficit

The Jefferson County Fee on Tuesday delayed dialogue and potential motion concerning a reported $14 million deficit within the operations of The World Video games 2022.

Commissioner Joe Knight, the fee’s finance committee chairman and liaison to The World Video games, mentioned the fee has been requested for a further $4 million to deal with the shortfall.

Whereas shifting the matter to the committee agenda of Sept. 6, Knight mentioned he nonetheless counts the 11-day sports activities occasion as a triumph for the metro space.

“The Jefferson County Fee continues our efforts to assist The World Video games 2022,” Knight mentioned, studying from a ready assertion. “Though not contractually obligated, the fee has partnered with Birmingham, the State of Alabama, the Conference Bureau and the company neighborhood to carry these video games to our neighborhood. The Video games had been successful within the eyes of the athletes, the followers and the three,400 volunteers who made this potential.

“On the down aspect, there exists excellent balances, as is usually the case in occasions of this magnitude,” the commissioner continued. “We are going to proceed work with all companions as a way to carry this to an amicable conclusion.”

Knight acknowledged that there could also be disagreement amongst fee members about spending extra money on the video games.

“A number of the commissioners could vote for it, some could not,” he mentioned. “However I’m going to work with the opposite companions to get this resolved and behind us so we don’t have a foul mark on the occasion,” he advised media between the fee’s committee assembly and common assembly, each of which had been held Tuesday.

Ron Jackson, a longtime citizen activist, mentioned Jefferson County ought to give no extra taxpayer cash to The World Video games.

“This was a enterprise proposition that was miscalculated and speculated upon and our taxpayers should not going to pay for it,” mentioned Jackson, who’s govt director of Residents for Higher Faculties and Sustainable Communities. “We’re letting the fee and everybody else know that we wish The World Video games Organizing Committee to file Chapter 11 chapter proper now in order that the unsecured collectors … we wish them paid.”

Fee President Jimmie Stephens mentioned it’s untimely to do something instantly regarding The World Video games’ debt. He mentioned there must be an accounting to find out what the “contractual companions” had been doing to scale back the deficit.

“One factor we is not going to do,” Stephens mentioned. “We is not going to take taxpayer {dollars} which can be designed for bettering our roads and transportation and allocate these from the residents who elected us to The World Video games which have come and gone.”