Font ResizeLAS CRUCES - Could Texas be eyeing a long-standing Las Cruces event with the hopes of stealing it away?
Apparently, pardner.
The city of Midland, Texas, has offered incentives to The Whole Enchilada Softball Tournament valued at about $20,000, according to Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima.
Now, Las Cruces city officials are considering some incentives of their own.
The 33-year-old event draws annually about 7,000 people to the area, who generate about $4.38 million in economic impact, when spending on hotel rooms, restaurants and other services is factored in, according to tournament hosts, the United States Specialty Sports Association.
The USSSA presented the figures to the city council
during a work session Monday. And while the group didn't explicitly threaten to move the tournament from Las Cruces, it did put the idea on the table.
Miyagishima said he didn't perceive the presentation as a threat to move the tournament. He said there was no ultimatum attached.
"They were very nice about it," he said. "What they were getting at, is they wanted us to know how big of an economic impact this tournament is, which I believe. And, if you're trying to sum it up, it's: 'We're bringing this type of revenue to the city, and yet we still have to pay a fee.'"
What do they want?
According to
Frederick said the tournament and participants currently pay about $9,200 in fees
for camping, trash pickup, portable toilets, as well as in user fees - a type of charge assessed to events hosted in city parks.
"We can't afford to have anymore minuses in the minuses column," he said of the group's budget.
The tournament, though it has the same name as The Whole Enchilada Fiesta, is a separate event, hosted by a private organization.
City councilor Nathan Small recommended the city take revenue from fees generated by the tournament participants and organization and direct it back to the parks and recreation department, which in turn could invest it into improvements that would benefit the tournament. Now, the revenue goes into the city's general fund.
"It just seems to me we need some targeted ways to show appreciation for this tournament," he said.
Mayor's proposal
Miyagishima suggested the city take about $5,000 from lodger's tax revenue, a tax on hotel rooms, and use it to sponsor the tournament. He said he estimates the tax generates about $10,000 over the course of the tournament weekend directly from softball players and families.
"To me, that has a lot more appeal than using general fund money," he said. "We're almost giving them half of their money back, in return for them visiting our hotels."
Continued Miyagishima: "I don't want to see them leave."
Miyagishima noted the city benefits from gross receipts tax revenue on sales during the tournament weekend.
'Slippery slope'
Isaac Chavez, city parks and recreation advisory committee chairman, noted that the numbers about the financial impact are estimates, which can vary depending on who's carrying out the economic analysis. Still, he said, the tournament is sizable and does benefit Las Cruces economically.
Chavez he doesn't think waiving the organization's user fees is a good way to address the problem, considering it would open the door for other sports tournaments to request the same waiver. The parks department already is facing budget cuts and can't afford to eat the cost of services and upkeep required for the tournament, he said.
"It would be a slippery slope; I just think we have to find another solution," he said.
Chavez said another idea is for the city to adopt the tournament, making it a city-sponsored event similar to the Fourth of July celebration or The Whole Enchilada Fiesta. That way, he said, it could be budgeted into the city's financial cycle that begins July 1.
The council didn't take a vote because the meeting was a work session only.
Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443
