Rochester City Council open to review of renovated civic center
Members of the Rochester City Council said Monday they are open to investigating the Mayo Civic Center's finances and business model.
The newly renovated Civic Center's expenses are projected to far outweigh revenue, meaning the city would be on the hook for the ever-growing subsidies in coming years.
Forecasts presented at Monday's council meeting show the red ink rising from a loss of $1.7 million last year to $2.5 million in 2023.
That's one reason City Administrator Steve Rymer suggested the city hire an outside consultant to assess the facility's finances and business model.
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The council did not vote on the idea Monday but council member Nick Campion welcomed the idea.
"Those numbers are not optimistic. I don't think anyone is sugar coating it. I think this is a transparent process we will be going through now," Campion said.
Council president Randy Staver also signaled he's open to the proposal.
"Doing business the way we have in the past is probably not the answer going forward. I think it's worth our time to investigate strategic ideas going forward," he said.