BENGALS/ENTERTAINMENT GROUPS LOBBY AGAINST TICKET-TAX HIKE

          The Hamilton County (OH) Board of Elections confirmed
     that a local sports and entertainment coalition, which
     includes the Bengals, "has enough signatures" to put a no-
     ticket-tax-increase charter amendment on the November 3
     ballot, according to Lisa Donovan of the CINCINNATI
     ENQUIRER.  The measure calls for capping the ticket tax at
     the current 3% "and mandating that the only way to raise it
     is at the ballot box."  The tax applies to a range of
     venues, including movie theaters, Bengals, Reds and Univ. of
     Cincinnati sports events.  A plan to meet a $100M school
     funding commitment called for raising the 3% admissions tax
     to 4.25% for 11 years, starting in '99, before "gradually"
     returning it to 3% in 2020.  Under that proposal, $85.7M
     would have been generated to meet the $100M goal, according
     to the city's budget office (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 8/26).