Gouging, Part II

Yesterday, I started trying to follow up Monday’s piece on the Minneapolis Park and Rec Board’s jacking up of “large tent” event fees from $100 to $10,000. You may recall the Minnesota Independent’s Chris Steller posted video of the June 18 meeting in which PRB superintendent Jon Gurban explained the hundredfold hike… (emphasis from Steller’s transcription):

GURBAN: No, you’re … Allow me to explain. The small tent rental went to that. But we now have a larger tent rental that somehow coincided with a convention that is coming to town that had a number of requests for LARGE events and gatherings on our property.

I tried to contact representatives of the Minneapolis Park and Rec board for clarification. I left messages for Superintendant Gurban, as well as the PRB’s Public Relations office.

I also left a message for Park Board Commisioner Carol Kummer – who seemed to be giggling about the fee hike at the PRB’s June 18 meeting…:

PARK COMMISSIONER CAROL KUMMER: Mr. Chair, just before she gets … Under Strategy 1, I’m assuming the tent rental increase went from $60 to $100, not $10,000. Or is that your goldmine? [general laughter]

…last Thursday.

I’ve still gotten no response from either Park and Rec board official.

2 thoughts on “Gouging, Part II

  1. I’ve still gotten no response
    That would be because aside from being your overlords, the DFL are quite simply a nasty, mean-spirited group of people.

  2. I’m wondering why this is a problem. It seems to me that the fee went from $60 to $100 for small tents– a large percentage but reasonable dollar increase– and a new fee of $10,000 was established for “large tents.” Presumably, large tent affairs would have a significant impact on the grass, etc., that might reasonably warrant such a charge.

    As for the “convention” story, it seems to me that the principle folks suffering from this new charge would be the anarchist protestor crowds, who tend to wreak even more havoc on public places than Republicans and thus justify a high charge even more. Besides, anything that might discourage these lunatics from showing up at all is to be praised, in my opinion.

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