County could get free hand to spend under KeyArena bill

In striving to broaden political support for a taxpayer-funded KeyArena expansion, the Sonics have sent a bill to state lawmakers that would hand King County government tens of millions of dollars each year to spend on — well, nobody knows for sure.

Unlike previous plans that funded Qwest and Safeco fields, the KeyArena proposal is vaguely worded to create a permanent stream of taxes to pay for unspecified "civic amenities."

That probably would include a bigger basketball arena for the Sonics. But it also could mean repairs to the Safeco Field roof, new theaters and museums or just about any construction project county officials believe might spur economic development or tourism.

Bob Cowan, King County's budget director, recently told lawmakers the bill could generate $1 billion in taxes between 2014 and 2038 — over and above what's needed for a $200 million KeyArena expansion. How that money would be spent would be left up to the King County Council and executive. No public vote would be required.

While the Sonics' owners desire for a better arena has been the driving force behind the proposal, the legislation actually guarantees the team nothing. The only earmark is for King County arts organizations, which would get $4.5 million a year, jumping to about $10 million in 2021 — leaving more than $50 million a year for what the legislation vaguely calls "civic amenities."

The bill says those amenities could include KeyArena or a new arena for the Sonics and Storm elsewhere. It also says money could be spent on future improvements to Safeco or Qwest fields.

Beyond that, the legislation's definition of "civic amenities" is so broad it's hard to tell what the taxes would pay for. The proposal says the taxes could go toward any "sports, cultural or other civic amenity that promotes tourism or economic development."

The reason for the bill's open-ended language is King County Executive Ron Sims, who says he helped rewrite the Sonics plan because he wants a steady funding source to pay for arenas, theaters and other cultural gathering places.

Sims, who backed the Mariners and Seahawks stadiums, said, "I think our community has benefited from those investments, and I think we'll benefit from the Sonics, too." But he stressed his "highest priority" would be arts funding, not stadiums. "The first group we'll sit down to negotiate with would be the arts groups," he said.

In a Seattle Times op-ed piece Wednesday, Sims also suggested the money could be spent creating "the Seattle Center of our dreams," arguing the 1962 World's Fair campus anchored by KeyArena is in need of massive refurbishing.

Cowan, the county's budget director, said the money also could be spent on buildings like McCaw Hall, Benaroya Hall, the Village Theatre in Issaquah or similar museums and cultural facilities throughout the county.

"There is no regular ongoing source of funding for the kinds of civic amenities that we are talking about," he said.

Arena opponents argue the legislation's vagueness is a ploy.

"What they're trying to do is wrap it in Christmas wrapping," said Chris Van Dyk, organizer for Citizens for More Important Things, the anti-stadium group that has resurfaced to fight the Sonics' proposal. "No responsible legislator is going to give King County a blank check, and no responsible mayor or county executive is going to ask for it."

But Sonics executive vice-president Terry McLaughlin called the plan "an opportunity to take care of both the arts and the infrastructure for stadiums and arenas."

The proposal, which has not picked up much support in the Legislature, would make permanent a series of taxes, primarily on hotels, restaurants and rental cars, used to pay the debt from the Seahawks and Mariners stadiums.

Sims' role in developing the legislation has created some friction with Seattle officials.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, who last year supported the Sonics in a failed bid to get a KeyArena bill through the Legislature, had been reluctant to approach state lawmakers this year without first reaching consensus with the City Council.

Frustrated with the city's slow decision-making pace, Sonics executives approached Sims, who suggested broadening the bill so it would be about more than the basketball team, according to team and county officials.

A Jan. 26 e-mail from Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis to Seattle City Councilman David Della characterized the proposal as "cooked up between Ron Sims and the Sonics," and said the mayor was taking a "neutral position at this time."

Ceis later testified before lawmakers in general support of the Sonics but said Nickels wanted changes to the bill to guarantee city control of any plan to finance a KeyArena expansion.

In an interview Wednesday, Ceis said the bill should be amended so the city, not King County, would control the tax money for a KeyArena expansion. Otherwise, the city might be forced to bargain with county officials to obtain money needed to expand KeyArena and retire debt remaining from the 1995 arena-rebuilding project.

NBA Commissioner David Stern and Sonics chairman Howard Schultz are expected in Olympia today for a Senate Ways and Means Committee hearing on the proposal, Senate Bill 6849, which also has drawn strong support from arts organizations. A companion bill, House Bill 3233, has been introduced in the House.

Arts and cultural groups see the legislation as enabling Seattle and King County to build on the area's arts-friendly reputation.

"Certainly for a cultural institution looking to build a brand new facility, this bill is better than anything that exists today," said Jim Kelly, executive director of 4Culture, King County's arts and culture public-development authority.

Jim Brunner: 206-515-5628 or jbrunner@seattletimes.com