Curtis said he is preparing for the worst — a county "no" vote against the stadium — and has a back-up plan on what to do with the hotel-room taxes. He filed a blank bill file Friday titled "Transient Room Taxes Amendments," for a bill that would direct the county on how to spend the money, as well as urge county leaders to finally start construction on a parking garage at the South Towne Exposition Centre.

Leftover money not used on the parking garage could possibly fund an expansion at the Hogel Zoo, or a TRAX line to the Salt Lake City International Airport, Curtis said. Curtis has threatened in the past that if the county didn't fund the soccer stadium, he might push to redirect hotel-tax dollars to the airport TRAX line.

Transient room taxes, also known as hotel-room taxes, fund and promote tourism, recreation and convention projects, including the Salt Palace and South Towne Exposition Center. Take that away, and the county would lose a major funding source for the Salt Palace and other tourism-related facilities.

Some county leaders, including Salt Lake County Councilman Joe Hatch, fear the bill is the first of many bills that would punish the county for not approving the stadium deal.

"There is no question the Legislature does not trust Salt Lake County," Hatch said. "Because they don't trust us, they feel they have to threaten punitive action to get us to fund the soccer stadium."

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