The Kansas City Star from Kansas City, Missouri • 49

STAR BUSINESS WEEKLY TUESDAY APRIL 8 2008 vt '-V -y 5 mm WWWKANSASCITYCOK 'T-1 Swirtcli potential Swatch Group AG tlw world's largest watchmaker wai added to Goldman Sachs Coa buy list because of growth potential In emerging market! Busy signal Dali CEO Michael Del) aays he haa no plans to enter the mobile phone market this year countering speculation that the personal computer maker will add handsets to Its lineup POWER a LIGHT GAINS PRIME PARM SPOTS OVER CASIKOS RICK AIM The question of public financing for state-owned casinos in Kansas is a one Ift also an odd one that state dollars and state manpower will be expended in coming years in the role as casino owner That dilemma come up yet For now both sides the battle are lawyered up and the legal briefs are flying A lawsuit financed in part by Tbpeka-based taxpayer watchdog Americans for Prosperity-Kansas has alleged diat all three casino projects proposed for Kansas City Kam violate the state casino ban on public -financing of casinos The lawsuit filed in Shawnee 1 County District Court names the Kansas Lottery the Kansas Lottery Commission the Lottery Gaming Fbcfllty Review Board and the Kansas Radng and Gaming Commission as defend- ants a would prohibit the state from wtode focto casino owners Plnnide Entertainment Legends Sun and a partnersha including Kansas Speedway and the Cordbh Ca Any deal with those companies it alleged would amount to illegal tax" because each is with nongambl KEVIN COLUSON Sad news at HSR Block is good news for visitors to Kansas PowsrS UgM 200 new public parking spaces have been nf 1 created alter recent layons The additional spaces are in die garage beneath the Kansas City Uva block and are ac- cessed from 13th Street be- -tween Grand Boulevard and Main Street The spots had been reserved for Block employees during weekdays and Saturday mornings but when the firm laid off 325 workers in January they were unneeded Linda McDougall a spokeswoman for Block said the layoffs allowed some employees who had been paiidngbeneath Kansas City Live to find spaces in the garage below the com- pany headquarters bu ilding enabled us to be a good public citizen she said Even more important to die Power Light District is a decision by Block to allow public parking in the entire 1000-space Kansas City Live garage to begin at 5 pjn week- days instead of 6 pan Garage hours will remain the same on weekends opening to the SEECOdlSQNM7 casino law is clear state or local tax abatement no revenue bonds tax incre-! ment financing or similar financing shall be used to finance any part of any lottery gaming enterprise or any racetrack The law is extraordinarily murky howevet on whether that language is retroactive The three casinos would link phys- ically and through marketing partnerships with the ScMttar-' bahn Vacation Village water theme park Legends at Village West dropping district and Kansas all mega-million-dollar real estate devel- opments that have received substantial public assistance over foe past decade Legal arguments parse the rroactivity question to fine dust picking apart the nuance of every word The court ruling could go either way no wonder Attorney Gen-oral Stephen Six sidestepped the issue and refused to render a legal opinion But blame Six for this court battle The real culprits are Kansas lawmakers who assembled the ca-sino law like some Frankenstein SEEALMD17 I IU i-it-A past received state or local tax breaks STAR bonds or some other public aid and as such part of the same overall development" 'V- KEVIN COUiSON (THE KANSAS CITY STAR More public access to parking will ba available In tha Power AUght District courtesy of meant layoffs at HAR Block 1.