Section 17154 - Referenda levying additional taxes(a) Ballot.--The county board of elections of the central county and each contiguous county shall cause to be printed on the official ballot and ballot labels at the municipal election in November 1997 a referendum to determine the will of the electorate within the county with respect to levying the additional sales and use taxes under this subchapter.(b) Question in central county.--The question as printed on the official ballot and ballot labels in the central county shall be in the following form: REGIONAL RENAISSANCE INITIATIVE
Do you favor supporting job creation projects in this county by temporarily increasing the sales tax by 0.5% for seven years, with 75% of the revenues used to fund not more than 1/2 the cost of expanding the Lawrence Convention Center, and constructing facilities in the cultural district, a baseball park and a football stadium; and with the remaining 25% of the revenues used for other economic development projects in Allegheny County?
(c) Question in contiguous counties.--The question as printed on the official ballot and ballot labels in the contiguous counties shall be in the following form: REGIONAL RENAISSANCE INITIATIVE
Do you favor supporting job creation projects in this county by temporarily increasing the sales tax by 0.5% for seven years, with 75% of the revenues used for economic development, transportation and tourism projects in (name) County; and with 25% of the revenues used to fund not more than 1/2 the cost of expanding the Lawrence Convention Center and constructing facilities in the cultural district, a baseball park and a football stadium in Pittsburgh?
(d) Advertisement.--The referenda required under this section shall be advertised and conducted in accordance with the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code.(e) Approval.--Except as provided in subsections (f), (g) and (h), upon certification that the referendum under subsection (a) has been approved in any county, the authority shall be established as under section 17131 (relating to authority established).(f) Partial approval.--If the referendum provided for in this section is not approved by the voters in the central county but is approved by the voters in at least one contiguous county: (1) The Regional Destination FacilitFund may not be established and all taxes collected by participating counties under section 17152 (relating to imposition of additional sales and use taxes) shall be deposited into the Regional Growth Fund.(2) Members of the board may not be appointed under section 17132(b)(1) and (3) (relating to board of authority).(g) Nonparticipation.--If the referendum under this section is approved by the voters in at least one county but is not approved by the voters in a particular contiguous county, the defeat of the referendum in that contiguous county may not affect the establishment of the authority or the operation of the provisions of this chapter, except that the additional taxes provided for in section 17152 may not be collected in the contiguous county and the contiguous county shall not be a participating county.(h) Defeated referenda.--If the referenda under this section are defeated in the central county and all of the contiguous counties, this subchapter and Subchapters G (relating to Regional Destination Facilities Fund) and H (relating to conveyance of David L. Lawrence Convention Center) shall be of no further force and effect.(i) Hotel tax.--If the referendum under this section is approved by the voters in the central county, the increase in the hotel tax in the central county provided for in section 17161 (relating to increase in rate of hotel tax in central county) shall be reduced to 1.5% during the period that the taxes imposed by section 17152 are collected in the central county.Added by P.L. (number not assigned at time of publication) 2024 No. 14,§ 4, eff. 7/8/2024.