Here recently, with the many successful bookings of acts at the Royal Palace Theatre, we have been lulled into thinking the venue is no longer an issue.

As pleased as we are there are more shows being booked at the theater, the reality is there is still a huge debt hanging over the heads of city government and city taxpayers.

The question now becomes how do we pay that debt?

Mayor Emery Doughtie offered the solution at Tuesday’s council meeting and we hope the public listens and understands the solutions available to get the debt paid.

The easiest solution would be for council just to enact a 17-cent property tax increase for the next fiscal year and be done with it.

However, council has been sensitive to not raising taxes. Whether this is simply political or altruistic matters not. The fact is the tax rate has remained the same and we suspect it will remain the same as the city goes into the budget deliberations for the upcoming fiscal year.

That’s why we support the mayor and his efforts to at least have a referendum on a 1-cent countywide sales tax so the voters can have a say to determine whether this debt lingers for 14 years or can be paid off in possibly half that time.

While this scenario depends on HSV Entertainment LLC exercising its option to buy the theater at the end of 18 months, the one-cent sales tax could go far to helping ease the burden of theater debt if that decision isn’t made.

We believe the General Assembly should give the city that chance because it puts the matter squarely in the hands of the voters and not one government entity.

Should voters be given that chance then it will be up to them and only them to decide.

That’s a fair proposal and that’s what the mayor was saying Tuesday night. The mayor didn’t say there was going to be a property tax rate increase or that the sales tax matter was a given.

Residents should be frightened into realizing a 17-cent property tax increase is not the way to go and should objectively look at the alternative.

A referendum on the 1-cent sales tax gives everyone, especially the residents of Roanoke Rapids, a say on the theater when they had no voice when the idea was first discussed more than six years ago.

It’s about as transparent as you can be and we believe not only should state lawmakers give the county residents the right to vote on the matter but also voters should vote in favor of the tax if given the chance.

Services through this debacle have remained as they are. There has been no room for growth, only the status quo and the mayor, at least according to his comments Tuesday night, wants to see growth and not stagnation.

Remember, this sales tax is spread amongst all of us — our friends, our neighbors and those strangers who come through the area.

It is a much fairer proposal than when the whole idea of an entertainment district was first presented to us and we had little say. This gives us a say as the city continues to deliberate and deal with a matter that remains an issue — Editor