Corroon tells Real Salt Lake no deal once again

Once again, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon is saying no to a stadium deal for Real Salt Lake.

Now he says he won't sign an interlocal agreement that would allow funding to go forward to help construct the stadium for Real Salt Lake — not without some changes. Corroon said the language of the document is too vague and leaves open the possibility that the county's hotel-room tax (TRT) dollars could be used for a hotel, broadcast studio or other Real projects on the stadium property.

"I won't sign it unless there is some confirmation that the TRT monies will only go for land, parking and infrastructure," Corroon said Tuesday afternoon.

The agreement is one of two that finalize details of a deal the Utah Legislature passed in February, securing $35 million for land and infrastructure for a soccer stadium for Real Salt Lake.

Nearly two hours before the meeting was set to begin, the Sandy City Council yanked the disputed agreement from the council's agenda Tuesday night. After Corroon called the state's negotiator for the stadium deal, Jason Perry, at approximately 5 p.m. Tuesday to complain about the vague language, Sandy leaders agreed to rework some of the details of the agreement.

However, the city won't budge on everything Corroon asked for. Sandy Economic Development Director Randy Sant said he will not change the language about what the hotel-room revenue will be used for.

"It was just too restrictive," Sant said. "That doesn't mean that our intent has always been all along to use it for land and public utilities.

"I have no idea what I'm going to use it for. I'm going to use it in accordance to what the Utah State Legislature passed. The law tells me what I can and can't use it for."

The law is broad, saying hotel-tax revenue can be used to promote recreation, tourism, film productions and conventions as well as for sports and recreation facilities, like practice fields and stadiums.

Sant said the city might end up needing to spend some of the money on attorneys' fees for the land and construction deals. Under Corroon's demands, the city wouldn't be able to do that.

Even without Corroon's signature, the stadium project would not be derailed, Sant said. His cooperation would be nice, however, as the city would not have to pay additional bond insurance and not have as much bond coverage, Sant said.

However, "the devil is in the details," Corroon said, and he just doesn't agree with the details of the interlocal agreement.

To solve the problem, Perry said state and Sandy leaders will gut the interlocal agreement to the bare minimum, without any language on what the money can be spent on.