NAWS Only Group Opposes Bowl Plan

We're not opposed to the Community Bowl - we're against the funding plan which amounts to a nine ...  More »

We're not opposed to the Community Bowl - we're against the funding plan which amounts to a nine million dollar tax increase. That's how a newly-formed group called NAWS Only explains its stance against Measure Two on the June ballot in Minot. The measure would divert half of the one-cent sales tax collections designed to fund the Northwest Area Water Supply project to funding the Community Bowl for a period of three years. That would raise more than nine million dollars for the multi-sport stadium project. But NAWS Only, whose main contributing groups are Ward County Farm Bureau and Ward County Farmers Union, says money should never be diverted from the NAWS fund. Ron Kramer, Ward County Farmers Union president, says it would be more appropriate to take money from the other one-cent sales tax in Minot - the tax that fuels the MAGIC Fund. (Ron Kramer, NAWS Only) I don't see a problem with that because that's essentially the way the MAGIC Fund tax was passed, it was supposed to be for community development so I would say no, we don't have a problem with that at all, we think that would be a very appropriate source to fund the Community Bowl. VO CONTINUES The president of the Ward County Farm Bureau says it's hard to overstate the importance of water to the region, and money should not be taken from the NAWS fund. (Dan Deaver, NAWS Only) Water is going to be an important thing to the community. And with the oil activity coming, it's probably a boom that without the water won't happen. If we can get the project completed we move forward. Supporters of the Community Bowl funding plan say they've been assured by city officials that using half of the NAWS tax income for three years will not put the water fund in any peril. Several community groups held a press conference yesterday to express their support for the funding plan.  « Less