Sitting on the back of truck at an Auburn football tailgate, many things are needed to complete the ambiance. Chicken fingers, a multitude of chips and dips and some beer to wash it down come together to complete the tailgate experience.
In Auburn, when the football season begins, alcohol sales shoot through the roof. Auburn resident Vaughn Maceina saw the trend and wants to put the sales toward a good cause.
Maceina spoke to the Auburn City Council and proposed increasing the alcohol sales tax so that it would specifically benefit the new city school system.
The new school system will cost the city of Auburn and its residents an enormous amount of money. Maceina plans to remedy that with the new tax.
"It wouldn't go to building some huge sky scraper or anything like that," he said. "It would go to a school, and that would largely benefit our community."
Maceina is a weight-training teacher at Auburn Jr. High School and presented a highly researched plan of action.
He asks for a small increase in already the 3 percent alcohol tax, and the funds would be earmarked for Auburn City schools.
"It would be so small, like 50 cent, and the average person wouldn't even realize it," Maceina said. "Tax revenue on alcohol goes up every football season and the extra money would all go to the school."
He also said the students who attend the University, who he said consume a large amount of alcohol, would be paying a kind of occupancy tax.
He stated that in his findings, the taxes would have generated $2.3 million in the last five years.
Kroger of Auburn has $50,000 worth of beer sales in one month alone.
Mayor Bill Ham and members of the council welcomed his plan of action.
"We appreciate all your time spent on this and I know we have been in touch with you on this for a while now," Mayor Ham said. "The idea is a good one and has some specifics dealing with state law that we will have to deal with. I know all nine of us are as equally concerned over school funding as you are."
City Manager Charlie Duggan said they would take the plan and see if the city could authorize such a tax.
In other City Council news:
1. The new Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe was approved a retail beer and table wine alcoholic beverage licence.
2. The motion to fill in a portion of five lots in Hickory Woods South was denied. The City Planning Commission unanimously denied the plan and many residents of the neighborhood also spoke about negative feelings on the plan going through.
3. The council approved the closing of City streets and Gay Street Parking Lot, invoking the Entertainment District. These closings will coincide with the 2014 events held in the area.
4. The council approved the consumption of alcohol at Kiesel Park for Auburn CityFest 2014 Juried Art Preview and Reception that will be held on April 24, 2014.
5. The Council approved a purchase of three 2014 Ford F150 Supercab 4x2 Pick-up Trucks from Stivers Ford Lincoln for the Parks and Recreation Department.
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