INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Senate gave preliminary approval Tuesday afternoon to Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard's plan to bail out the Capital Improvement Board.

The plan would raise four taxes to pay for operating three sports facilities and the Indiana Convention Center, 6News' Norman Cox reported.

Many legislators said they find the proposal necessary, but distasteful.

The plan would allow Marion County to double the alcohol tax and raise taxes on hotel occupancy, rental cars and sports tickets. It would raise more than $40 million a year to cover operating expenses for the CIB.

Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, was one of the lawmakers who questioned the fairness of making Marion County residents pay so much more for a drink than in neighboring counties.

"We're going to create a situation where somebody who lives at County Line Road could have a bar across the street and charge less than my constituent or Sen. (Brent) Waltz's constituent, who is right across the street," Taylor said. "I ask you how fair that is. I don't think it's fair at all."

Sen. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis, put himself in the shoes of the proverbial "Joe Sixpack," asking why he always has to pay for other people's mistakes.

"I know people say that this is only a penny tax, but folks, it's not a penny tax to me," Young said. "In 1980, when they wanted to build the Hoosier Dome, they said, 'Let's put one penny sales tax.' It's never gone away. It never will."

Sen. Luke Kenley, one of the bill's sponsors, asked colleagues to look at a bigger picture that includes millions of dollars in revenue brought in by visitors to Indianapolis' sports venues and the convention center.

"We're trying to sustain the vibrancy of one of the best cities in America, our state capital," Kenley said. "The convention center is the focus of that."

The bill will be up for a final floor vote on Wednesday before it goes to a House-Senate conference committee, where a lot of thorny issues would still have to be worked out.

Sen. Vi Simpson mentioned a state law that requires alcohol wholesalers to charge the same price to all customers, which would mean if a wholesaler has Marion County customers and others from out of the county, they'd have to add on the tax hike for both groups.

The CIB is facing an expected $47 million operating deficit from Conseco Fieldhouse, Lucas Oil Stadium, Victory Field and the Indiana Convention Center.