Vigo's food & beverage tax receipts growing

Howard Greninger, The Tribune-Star, Terre Haute, Ind.
Updated ·3 min read

Feb. 1—Revenue from a food and beverage tax continues to grow in Vigo County.

In January, the county collected $253,125. That is slightly higher when compared to January 2022, when the county collected $249,718, which was then a record amount.

"So you have collected about $3,400 more than you did last January, so your trend is continuing to increase," Jason Semler, accountant and partner in Baker Tilly Municipal Advisors, told members of the Vigo County Capital Improvement Board on Wednesday.

The county last year collected about $3.05 million from the food and beverage tax. The tax revenue is what funds the Terre Haute Convention Center, as well as tourism projects such as a proposed new multi-sports complex. It also helps public art, such as with the Turn to the River project.

Brownsburg-based PROS Consulting Inc. is now conducting a feasibility study for a proposed multi-sports complex and aquatic center. The company expects to complete work by the end of April, presenting its findings to the CIB in May.

The complex is envisioned to include a baseball stadium and outdoor baseball fields, an east-side aquatic center and a fieldhouse for indoor sports.

In other business, the CIB on Thursday will open request for proposal submissions. The work consists of constructing display cases and display items for the Larry Bird Museum at the convention center. The museum is slated to open late this year.

"We had approximately 12 companies that we met with. ... I would expect us to have, hopefully, at least eight" proposals, said Terri Conley, who oversees the board's museum committee.

The CIB's museum committee will review the proposals and then schedule interviews with companies, Conley said. That committee will then make a recommendation to the full board.

In addition, an audio and visual component of the museum will be a separate request for proposals "and the timing of the audio/video RFP will kind of effect the scope of the current [proposals for display cases]," said Doug Kowalski, attorney with Kroger Gardis Regas, which represents the CIB.

"We are waiting on licensing for videos and audio clips," Kowalski said.

In her report, Tennille Wanner, OVG 360's general manager of the convention center, said December was the highest gross revenue month to date, with nearly $160,000.

That includes nearly $2,700 in parking revenue as well as about $75,000 in food revenue. The convention center hosted 15 events in December.

The convention center had $658,426 in gross revenue in the eight months the center was open in 2022, Wanner said.

For 2023, Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett was elected as president of the CIB. He replaces member Jon Marvel, who served nine years as president. Marvel told the board in December he would seek to step down from the president position this year.

Other CIB officers for 2023 are Vigo County Commissioner Chris Switzer as vice president; member Emily Crapo will remain as secretary; and Conley will serve as board treasurer.

Howard Greninger can be reached at 812-231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com. Follow on Twitter @TribStarHoward.