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County committed to spend millions on various projects

By Tom Roussey - bio | email

The U.S National Whitewater Center continues to struggle.

We now know it lost over 2 million dollars last year. And taxpayers will be on the hook to pay the center 1.7 million dollars a year for the next six years.

That's one of many promises local governments made when times were better that now they may regret.

Before the Whitewater Center opened, governments in Gaston and Mecklenburg Counties promised it 1.7 million a year for seven years if it couldn't turn a profit. It hasn't, meaning taxpayers are on the hook for six more years.

But the Center isn't the only place receiving tax money based on promises made when the economy was better.

For instance, the NASCAR Hall of Fame's budget is now nearly 200 million dollars. Much of that money is slated to come from a hotel/motel tax visitors pay.

14 months ago Mecklenburg County voted to buy this chunk of land for 19 million. The county was supposed to get that money back as part of the big downtown baseball deal...but that deal is in danger. Facing a $70 million dollar budget shortfall, some with the county would love to have the $19 million back.