[creamcityleo79]

Supervisors, Maloofs agree: Issue goes to voters in November


Published 4:57 pm PDT Wednesday, August 2, 2006


[Updated: 8:40 p.m. Wednesday] A proposed quarter-cent sales tax increase to fund a new Kings arena will go before voters on the November ballot.

But like most everything related to the arena issue, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors' ultimate 4-1 vote Wednesday night didn't come easily.

Supervisor Roger Dickinson had promised that Wednesday's vote to place the issue before the public would merely be a "formality."

The board last week voted to move forward with the issue, and the second hearing required by law is usually a rubber stamp.

But supervisors, confronted by an intensely controversial issue, wanted to see the deal points in writing and signed by the representatives for the Maloof family, the owners of the Kings. Until Wednesday, the agreement had been verbal.

Drafting the non-binding written "term sheet" behind closed doors took more time than expected. A lot more.

"I'm surprised it was as difficult as it turned out to be," Dickinson said.

But hours of back and forth Wednesday, representatives from the city, county, and the Maloofs walked into the supervisors meeting chambers a few minutes before it reconvened at 7:30 p.m., some smiling and some flashing a thumbs up.

"It's been an interesting day," Paul Hahn, the county's economic development director deadpanned to supervisors.

In the end, the supervisors voted 4-1 to put the proposed quarter cent sales tax increase on the ballot, clearing the last administrative hurdle to putting the issue before voters.

Supervisors Dickinson, Susan Peters, Illa Collin and Don Nottoli voted yes. Roberta MacGlashan voted no.

Earlier, after the board adjourned, officials said the day meetings were postponed to allow them "to get the appropriate agreements in place."

County Executive Terry Schutten said "things were moving smoothly," but tight-lipped county officials would not offer more specifics.

Chris Holben, a spokesman for the arena negotiating team, said parties involved in the arena plan were finalizing all terms reached last month.

"They're attempting to dot the I's and cross the T's," Holben said.

Arena negotiators had hammered out an agreement last month. City and county officials at the time said a finalized and detailed "Memorandum of Understanding" would be completed in October, but never before mentioned the need for more discussion on basic deal points.

Last week, supervisors held a four-hour hearing on the arena issue, and their vote tally was the same.