The Council finds that:

(1) The ownership, construction, development, or renovation of a publicly financed stadium in the District of Columbia, after October 1, 2004, for use primarily for professional athletic team events is a municipal use that is in the interest of, and for the benefit of, the citizens of the District of Columbia because such a publicly-owned stadium or arena will contribute to the social and economic well-being of the citizens of the District of Columbia and significantly enhance the economic development and employment opportunities within the District of Columbia.

(2) To further that interest, it is appropriate for the District of Columbia to pay all or a portion of the cost of constructing, developing, or renovating a stadium and, to that end, to impose a ballpark fee based upon the gross receipts of certain persons doing business within the District of Columbia; to impose a tax on the sales of tickets, or rights to admission, to certain events at the stadium; to impose a tax on sales of personal property and certain services at the stadium and to utilize the revenues derived from such fees and taxes to pay all or a portion of the cost of development, construction, or renovation of the stadium or the debt service on bonds or other evidence of indebtedness issued to finance all or a portion of the cost of the development, construction, or renovation of the stadium; to acquire real property in furtherance of these public purposes; to lease the stadium to one or more professional baseball clubs; and for the District of Columbia and any duly designated District government agency or instrumentality to enter into binding and enforceable contracts to further these purposes.

(Apr. 8, 2005, D.C. Law 15-320, § 101, 52 DCR 1757.)

Delegation of Authority Pursuant to the Ballpark Omnibus Financing and Revenue Act of 2004, D.C. Law 15-320, effective April 8, 2005, see Mayor’s Order 2005-120, August 19, 2005, ( 52 DCR 8662).

Delegation of Authority for Acquisition of Real Property for Baseball Stadium, see Mayor’s Order 2005-130, September 20, 2005 ( 53 DCR 144).