Mayor calls for Hard Rock Live ticket tax to fund arts initiatives in Rockford

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Mayor Tom McNamara on Thursday used his platform during the reveal of the new Rockford Regional Cultural Plan to push for the passage of a tax on tickets to shows at the future Hard Rock Live entertainment venue. He said that money should be dedicated to funding arts and cultural enterprises in the city.

McNamara said the 5% tax, which is already applied to shows at the Coronado Performing Arts Center and BMO Center, could serve as the first stream of revenue to fund arts and cultural initiatives. It would provide a funding source that is called for in the freshly revealed cultural plan. He delivered his remarks before a full third-story room of the Rockford Public Library as the Rockford Area Arts Council detailed that plan.

“I’m urging you: Don’t let the momentum stop at this event where you see a packed house and standing room only,” McNamara said.  “We have to put action behind these words. We owe it to our future, our young people.”

Related: Rockford Area Arts Council reveals plan to weave arts ‘into the very fabric of our community’

McNamara’s remarks come four days after City Council members delayed a vote on the tax, signaling questions or doubts from some aldermen over whether it should be implemented.

The tax, which would be 3% on sporting events and 5% on concerts and other performances, is intended to create a level playing field between Hard Rock and the downtown venues that already have it applied through a special service area. The tax is paid by patrons buying tickets, similar to a sales tax.

“I’m not in favor of any new taxes. I don’t want to deter people from coming to Rockford or Hard Rock or, frankly, anywhere in the city buying a ticket where they may get hit with a new tax,” Alderman Kevin Frost said.

The tax would technically apply to any entertainment venue in the city, but parameters for when it is applied make it so that Hard Rock is the only venue that qualifies. For example, the tax doesn’t apply to public or private schools, nonprofits or units of local government. It also doesn’t apply to venues with capacity of 750 or fewer.

“It means an annual, dedicated funding source for arts and culture for programs, concerts and events, and it will be funded in large parts not by us, but by people visiting us and spending their money here,” said Mary McNamara Bernsten, executive director of the Rockford Area Arts Council and sister to Mayor Tom McNamara.

There’s no estimate yet on how much money the tax could generate. That’s because with Hard Rock Casino and its attached concert venue opening Aug. 29, the city doesn’t have a good measurement yet of how many shows will happen each year and at what ticket prices.

“At first it may not be a whole lot; it might be $150,000 a year,” McNamara Bernsten said. “That is $150,000 more than arts and culture gets today.”

The money would be pumped into the city’s redevelopment fund and earmarked for arts and cultural initiatives. That could mean funding for festivals such as Juneteenth, financing public art or funding education programs, among other aspects, McNamara said.

“It’s broad enough that we can do a lot, but it’s targeted to arts and culture,” McNamara said.

How the council will define arts and culture when it spends public money will be a question for some council members, Frost said.

“Arts and culture is a pretty broad term … it has not been well defined, and I think that’s a question for some,” he said. “If it passes, where is it going?”

Alderwoman Janessa Wilkins said a broad definition can be beneficial, allowing council members to use their votes to determine when and where spending is appropriate. However, she said she needs to learn more about the city’s plans for the tax before she’s ready to cast her vote.

Alderman Jeff Bailey had similar questions. He said he supports the tax, but first needs to make sure the money is getting directed to where it’s needed most in the community.

City Council members delayed their vote on Monday, which puts the matter back before the council on July 22.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas