Warren County’s lawmakers said this morning they are doubtful legislation for Vicksburg to raise sales taxes to fund a recreational complex will be approved.

“Across the board sales tax measures like these are not being looked on favorably in the House,” said Rep. Alex Monsour, who introduced the legislation in the House Friday, the same day Sen. Briggs Hopson III presented the same request in the Senate. “But we’ll take our chances and see what happens, you never know.”

The City of Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen is seeking approval to levy a ½ percent sales tax increase to fund a sports complex. If the legislation is approved the action to raise up to $20 million for the complex must go before the city’s voters, 60 percent of whom must cast ballots in favor of it before the tax can be levied.

“I’m not too optimistic about its chances, given what local and private chairman has told me,” Hopson said.

Hopson said earlier that Senate Local and Private Committee chairman Sen. Perry Lee, R-Mendenhall, has said he would not support a local and private bill that does not have unanimous support from the local government.

The city request for the legislation was approved last week in a 2-1 vote with South Ward Alderman Sid Beaumann voting against it.

“A majority of the board approved it,” Mayor Paul Winfield said. “I believe if I can explain how our form of city government works, they (the chairmen) will understand, and it won’t be a problem.”

Rep. George Flaggs said he, Monsour and Hopson met Thursday and decided to introduce the bills in both houses.

“We had to introduce the bill to get in the Legislature by the (local and private) deadline, so it could be reviewed by the chairmen,” Flaggs said. Friday was the deadline for local and private bills in the Legislature.

The bills were referred to the local and private committees in each house.

“We got it in so late, that we had the (committee) attorneys draw up the bill and drop it with the committees,” Monsour said. “It may be double filed with the (House) Ways and Means Committee.”

Flaggs said he gave a copy of the bill last week to Rep. Joseph Warren, D-Mount Olive, the House Local and Private Committee chairman.

“But he couldn’t consider it until it was introduced as a bill. I should have an opinion from him on it in the next day or two.”

On Monday, Winfield introduced a package on the sports complex that included a master plan based on plans for the Fisher Ferry complex, an analysis of the tax increase, description of the complex advisory committee and letters of support from the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors, Outlets of Vicksburg and the Vicksburg Chapter of the Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association. The package was sent to the Legislature.

The VCVB Board in March supported the sports complex but opposed the sales tax. The Hospitality and Restaurant Association said it would support the sales tax if the city’s hotels and restaurants are exempt.

The 200-acre Fisher Ferry site was bought in 2003 for $325,000. It was abandoned in 2009 after the city had spent an additional $2.7 million for preliminary plans, engineering and dirt work.

Winfield has said the Fisher Ferry Road site is not suitable because part of the property, including the access route, is in a flood zone.

In 2007, the city board hired USA Partners Sports Alliance of Jacksonville, Fla., for $250,000 to determine the feasibility of a proposed $25 million sports complex at Halls Ferry Park, including Bazinsky Field, proposed by the Aquila Group of Vicksburg. It would have included baseball and softball fields and related amenities, a water park, a baseball stadium/ballpark and facilities for golf, soccer, volleyball, tennis and other activities. The Aquila Group would lead the construction and management of the fields and sports facilities.

The project died after a study by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality found the site was not suitable because part of Halls Ferry Park was built on what was once the city’s landfill.

Under an agreement between the city and USA Partners, which was hired after the Aquila Group approached the city, the company would return the $250,000 feasibility study cost to the city if the complex did not materialize. More than four years later, the city has not been reimbursed.