When the dust settled on the Seattle SuperSonics’ departure settlement Thursday, one thing was clear: Whether the Legislature likes it or not, it’s now up to lawmakers to make sure Seattle gets a professional basketball team back.
The task is to find $75 million for a KeyArena renovation by the end of 2009. If legislators don’t succeed, an extra $30 million from Sonics owner Clay Bennett and a professional basketball team are out of the picture for Seattle.
But whether there’s political interest in sorting out Seattle’s problem is unclear.
House Speaker Frank Chopp, Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown and Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairwoman Margarita Prentice were all mum Thursday about the odds of agreeing on an arena renovation deal next year.
“I’m not saying we won’t act, but I think we need to be deliberative,” said Sen. Ed Murray, a Seattle Democrat who is on the task force created by the Legislature to assess King County taxes, some of which are being used to pay off debt on Safeco Field, Qwest Field and the old Kingdome.
The settlement is “very vague, and it’s intended to be vague,” said Rep. Ross Hunter, a Medina Democrat on the task force. “They want the state to take some action that makes $75 million available to this. Obviously we could just give them $75 million, which is unlikely – heavily unlikely. Or we could allow the city to shift funds from one account to another.”
Several plans for financing a $300 million KeyArena expansion were floated during the 2008 legislative session, though none succeeded.
Most involved taking some portion of the King County taxes on rental cars and restaurants that were put in place for funding other stadiums. The task force was created to evaluate the options.
Though none of the money is from state taxes, the Legislature must authorize the county or city to use the money for anything other than what it was originally intended for.
And the Sonics aren’t the only ones eyeing the pie: Local arts and the University of Washington, in need of a stadium renovation of its own, also want a piece.
Murray and Hunter said public funding for professional sports stadiums is a controversial issue, even if no money is taken from state coffers. In an election year, that means many lawmakers might be reluctant to talk about details until they’ve secured their seats.
In exchange for permission to leave Seattle, Bennett agreed to pay $45 million to Seattle immediately, followed by another $30 million in 2013 if Seattle doesn’t have another team.
The catch: The settlement also requires that the Legislature finds $75 million for the $300 million KeyArena renovation. The deadline is Dec. 31, 2009.
But the settlement doesn’t spell out how the Legislature should come up with the money.
One new idea, which Hunter called “shifting funds,” refers to a pool of unused money from the Seattle hotel-motel tax that pays for the convention center. Hunter described it as excess money that could be used without affecting the convention center’s future.
Murray, on the other hand, was not a fan of that plan. He said it could take money away from improvements needed at the convention center.
“We have to be very cautious about where we get the money so that we don’t hurt other needed projects or tax sources,” he said.
The task force will meet July 16 to begin discussions. Their report is due to the Legislature in December.
Niki Sullivan: 253-597-8603
blogs.thenewstribune.com/politics
Stadium taxes
Here’s how Seattle and King County taxes will cover the debt for the city’s three stadiums.
Kingdome: (Demolished in 2000, but some debt remains)
• 2 percent hotel and motel tax
• 1 percent car rental tax
Safeco Field:
• 0.017 percent sales tax
• Lottery games
• 0.5 percent food and beverage tax
• 2 percent car rental tax
• Stadium vehicle plates
• Admissions tax (used for parking bonds)
Qwest Field and Exhibition Center:
• 0.016 percent sales tax
• Lottery games
• 2 percent hotel and motel tax
• Admissions tax (at stadium and exhibition center)
• Parking tax
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