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DNC Host Committee Fills Up At City Gas Pumps

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Jul 23, 2008 5:21 am US/Mountain

DNC Host Committee Fills Up At City Gas Pumps

 Section: Denver 2008 DNC Convention Section
Reporting
Jodi Brooks
DENVER (AP) ― Members of the committee hosting the Democratic National Convention are filling their tanks at city-owned gas pumps, avoiding state and federal fuel taxes.

The Rocky Mountain News reported that the issue came up during a city council meeting with Mayor John Hickenlooper on Tuesday. At the meeting, the city's public works department asked to be reimbursed for the host committee's use of fuel and car washes.

A statement released by the mayor's office Tuesday evening said the city "will be reimbursed fully and at market rate" and all applicable taxes will be paid to the proper authorities.

Public works spokeswoman Christine Downs said the host committee is paying a fuel rate based on the weekly cost of gas, not the locked-in rate the city pays.

Downs said the host committee's contract started in March and $9,700 has been spent so far.

Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz said the tax-free deal was wrong.

"I am just troubled by not having the payment of taxes for what I consider to be a privately funded party, and that's what the host committee is: it's a private organization," she said after the meeting.

Sue Cobb, the mayor's spokeswoman, said in a statement that no city funds will be used to pay for the services.

"This has always been the intention of both the City and the Host Committee, which has secured donations to cover these costs," Cobb said.

That will be explicitly stated in an ordinance reimbursing the city, Cobb added.

Teresa McFarland, a spokeswoman for the Minneapolis-St. Paul Host Committee, said they did not have a similar deal with the city. The Republican National Convention will be in St. Paul Sept. 1-4.

"We are not getting our fuel at the city pumps. We're going to the regular pumps like every one else in Minnesota," she said.

Additional Resources



• For complete coverage of the planning for the 2008 Democratic convention in Denver, as well as information about how to volunteer and for a list of helpful links, visit the Denver 2008 DNC Convention Section.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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