The Road To Lakeview

Officials in Geddes, N.Y., are proposing a $1 per ticket tax for events at the Lakeview Amphitheatre to compensate for the wear and tear on the town’s roads as well as the burden put upon its court system and emergency services.  
Demetri Andritsakis/photosbymeem.com The new Lakeview Amphitheatre in Syracuse, N.Y., from a drone’s-eye view on opening night Sept. 3 with Miranda Lambert.

Geddes houses two entertainment venues: the State Fair, which is owned by the state, and the amphitheatre, owned by Onondaga County. Neither government entity has to pay the town property taxes. Imposing the tax on the State Fair is prohibited by state legislation, according to the Post-Standard. Town Supervisor Manny Falcone told the Post-Standard that Geddes wouldn’t be able to consider the tax on Lakeview Amphitheatre events had Onondaga County not hired Live Nation to bring in concerts and sell tickets.

The revenue generated from the proposed tax would be put toward road maintenance, emergency services and court costs. The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department polices events at the amphitheatre but the Geddes town court processes the arrests. Eight concerts at the venue “have generated 71 arrests ranging from violations to felonies,” the Post-Standard reports. So far, one public hearing has taken place concerning the proposal.