The Observation Deck

But Kate, wouldn't that eliminate one of the benefits of going to local bars rather than downtown? If it was as expensive to drink in Lakewood (due to a sin tax) as it is to go out to the warehouse district (due to market factors), business would be driven away from our city to Cleveland or any other suburb that doesn't increase the cost of a drink with a sin tax. It certainly is a good place to look for revenue being that these establishments are so plentiful.
Bigger question is this. Which is more likely to be accepted and successful; taxing goods or services that already exist or developing a fee based optional service or product that has value and people would be willing to pay for.

Shawn,

What percentage of Lakewood bar patrons are Lakewood residents? I know a number of people, mostly in their 20s, who frequent Lakewood bars frequently and none of them live in Lakewood. Most of them live in the outer burbs with their parents. Since the proliferation of bars puts more pressure on the city's safety forces, I think it seems reasonable that the patrons of the bars foot part of the bill to police the areas via a small tax on what they consume.

But who knows if this is even a feasible option since I'm not sure if it is allowed under current state law.

Kate McCarthy wrote:Shawn,

What percentage of Lakewood bar patrons are Lakewood residents? I know a number of people, mostly in their 20s, who frequent Lakewood bars frequently and none of them live in Lakewood. Most of them live in the outer burbs with their parents. Since the proliferation of bars puts more pressure on the city's safety forces, I think it seems reasonable that the patrons of the bars foot part of the bill to police the areas via a small tax on what they consume.

But who knows if this is even a feasible option since I'm not sure if it is allowed under current state law.

I would think an out-of-town guest to our bars is, in some way, supporting local law enforcement. Our city is home to a number of bars, more than our own residents could possibly support. These are tax-paying business set ups that bring revenue to the city, right? If we drove off out-of-towners, how many bars would go belly up? How in any way would that benefit Lakewood? If patrons act up, charge them with a crime if one has been committed. This would possibly include fines so make the criminals pay for their deeds. But don't charge the 99% (or more, if we want decimal places) of patrons pay for the few who mess up.

The only sin I want to see taxed right now is bottled water.

Hi,
I raise my bottle of "Les Bois" water in support of that.

With the recent tax hike on our tap water, my wallet thinks it's drinking bottled water with each glass.

Many bottled waters are tap water.

While having a convenient carrying case for water is handy, there are far better alternatives that are much less expensive and less harmful to the environment.

Buy some reusable bottles and fill up with L'eau de Lakewood. It's usually cleaner than most of the stuff you buy in a bottle.

Kate,
You may be right. Bars certainly are a large industry in Lakewood. I also think that it's a big reason why the demographics include so many in the 21-35 crowd. In a city known for it's taxes though, I'd be weary of adding another regardless of who pays or what it is on.
Is there another way that the city can recognize this group of individuals with disposable income and provide them a service that they would happily pay for? Oh I don't know say maybe a shuttle from one bar to the next? Earlier I said that I didn't expect the city to provide the service but it is an opportunity to make money that is ripe for the picking. I'm sure that there must be other programs established which cater to this group. What would those be again? I can think of some free social service programs for various types of poor but what are the fee based programs for this bar crowd that we're discussing? Rec dept, dog park, pool (now I'm stretching)....maybe this is a niche that could pay dividends. What a fine idea, generating revenue by serving the needs of the group that doesn't need a handout or massively expensive building projects and they're so readily available. There's always a new batch of young adults who find Lakewood to be a nice home (for a while).
So what would someone 21-35 want that the city could provide at a cost that would produce a profit? Wi-Fi maybe?

You want the city to run a magic bus?

This would not be a product and/or service that I would endorse for the City of Lakewood. If the Hospitality Association of Lakewood wants to ante up for such a thing, great, but I would assume that the overall liability of such an endeavor would make it daunting.

I don't need "massive handouts" or incentives to stay in Lakewood, although I squawk about paying for other people's children (schools).

Your post really makes me question why in the world you want to live in a city that doesn't cater to you.