BLOOMINGTON - The third fiscal year for the U.S. Cellular Coliseum started with a loss with May operations running into the red by $159,781.

In the financial report released Wednesday by the city of Bloomington, the first month of the city's fiscal year started out slowly for Central Illinois Arena Management, the Coliseum's operators.

The $159,781 loss does not include the city's costs for meeting the nearly $2 million annual payment on the bonds used to fund the construction of the $35.8 million, city-owned building.

Coliseum General Manager Mike Nelson, a co-owner of the management firm, said in his report to the city that May was a slow month because no major concerts were scheduled for the month.

"May is the start of the fiscal year and is the beginning of our slow summer season," Nelson said.

Nelson also cited extra costs in May, including $30,000 to switch ticketing services from Paciolan to Ticketmaster, a $68,000 utility bill and advertising expenses for events in June and July.

At the end of its second fiscal year, the Coliseum ended with about $48,000 in the bank. That profit will be added to city sales tax revenue set aside to pay on the bonds.

In the budget for the current year that will end in April 2009, the management firm estimates the facility will turn an operational profit of about $120,000.

Attendance for May was high; 40,881 people came into the building. That includes 22,500 for a three-day Jehovah's Witnesses convention and roughly 7,500 for the Normal Community West and Normal Community high school graduations.

Local banker Rob Fazzini, who is a member of the City Council committee that oversees Coliseum operations, said the conventions did bring a significant economic impact to the community. In his written summary to the council, Fazzini said convention goers spent about $2.3 million at local hotels and restaurants.

City Manager Tom Hamilton said the numbers for the first month were not surprising.

"This is the same pattern we are seeing repeated," Hamilton said. "This is the start of the fiscal year so there will be first-of-the-year expenses and this is the start of the slow season."

Hamilton was hopeful that concerts booked in June, July and August will help improve the 7,000-seat arena's financial performance for the summer.

"Already in June there has been a sold-out concert and a playoff game for the Extreme," Hamilton said.

About 6,138 people attended the June 12 Reba McEntire concert. The indoor football team went to the playoffs, giving the Coliseum an extra game on its schedule.

"That puts us ahead of where we were last year in terms of activity at the building," Hamilton added.

The Coliseum started its second fiscal year in May 2007 with a $112,572 loss for running the building.

That monthly loss later was changed to a loss of roughly $3,400 because of accounting adjustments typically made throughout the year, said management spokesman Bryan Bloodworth. Some of the reports from the early part of the fiscal year also likely will change, he added.