BLOOMINGTON - Increasing ticket sales and reduced expenses helped the U.S. Cellular Coliseum post a year-ending operating profit of $48,000 for its second fiscal year.

The $48,000 will go toward the annual payment of nearly $1.9 million for the bonds issued to build the $35.8 million city-owned building.

Mayor Steve Stockton said he was pleased to see the progress, noting the city's priority for the Coliseum has always been to move toward achieving the three main goals - making as much money as possible, bringing as many people into the venue, and providing a service to the community.

"This report shows we have made signifgicant progress on the first goal," Stockton said. "Now we have to start measurement toward the other two, Stockton said. "Hopefully we can continue to improve."

The operating profit is only based on the cost to run the building day to day. The city's construction bond payments are not factored into the operating profit or loss statement.

The Bloomington City Council voted earlier this year to increase the city's sales tax from 7.5 percent to 7.75 percent as of July 1 to pay for the cost of the building.

Central Illinois Arena Management reported the small profit for running the building in its monthly report released by the city on Monday.

Coliseum General Manager Mike Nelson said in the second year the Coliseum had $784,000 more in box office sales than it did the year before. Also, Nelson said operating expenses were cut by $383,000.

"We were able to significantly reduce costs by truly understanding how a building of this size operates," Nelson said in a statement released with the report. "We hope to continue this trend in year three."

The Coliseum posted an operating loss of about $350,000 in its first fiscal year. The 7,500-seat arena opened April 2006.

The Coliseum management group, co-owned by Nelson and John Butler, received $174,813 in management fees for the year, according to the fiscal report.

Under the terms of the agreement, the management team receives 4 percent of the gross revenue brought into the building. Total gross revenue for this fiscal year, which ended April 30, was $4.47 million.

There were 65 more events held in 2007-08 than the 202 events held during 2006-07, Nelson said. Those events included meetings, private parties, receptions and luncheons in addition to the usual round of concerts and hockey and football games.

Overall attendance for the second year was 290,404, just shy of beating the first year's attendance of 291,281.

Total attendance for April was 18,601.

The event with the highest attendance count was the April 19 Extreme football game, which drew 4,109 fans. The concert with the top attendance for the month - 3,243 people - was Christian rock band Casting Crowns.

The Mannheim Steamroller concert brought in 1,207 people, and the Hanson concert brought in 1,199.