Governor signs arena financing bill

The bill is written so that sales tax from the Holiday Inn, but not the nearby Embassy Suites, could be used for the bonds. That’s because the Holiday Inn would get a lot of new business from the arena, Avery said. The preferred site for an arena is straight west of the downtown post office in the Haymarket.

This was the second year that Avery tried to get senators to provide new tax incentives for a future convention center and arena in Lincoln.

LB912 is only enabling legislation. Passage does not mean the city necessarily will implement the new financing system.

But it does provide a new possibility that presumably could be offered to Lincoln voters in accordance with Beutler’s pledge to put arena plans on the ballot.