Acting as the city's Redevelopment Agency Board, six council members voted to allocate $170,000 that will be used for engineering and designs for a portion of the expansion. Also, the board allocated $250,000 over 10 years for construction of the new parking structure. However, that money would not be spent unless the retailers commit to keeping their shows in Salt Lake City for five years.

Another benefit to the city was a commitment from Salt Lake County to extend the downtown RDA district, allowing the city to continue to pour RDA funds into downtown for years past 2008, when the downtown RDA district is set to expire, Councilman Eric Jergensen said.

Lambert favored another proposal, which was floated by some county staffers but wasn't back by the county council, where the RDA would only pledge one payment of $250,000 instead of 10.

However, the other council members noted that the city will be reimbursed its $2.5 million if the Legislature increases the state hotel and room tax to fund the expansion. Also, that $2.5 million would not be spent sans the tax increase and it wouldn't come with a county commitment to extend the downtown RDA district.

In short, then, the city is really only spending $170,000 whether the deal falls through or if it moves forward as planned, Jergensen said.

Convention and Visitors Bureau President Dianne Binger said Salt Lake needs to at least try to keep the Outdoor Retailer shows. Binger and her crew will present VNU an offer on June 18 and hope to hear back from VNU in August about whether the offer was rejected or excepted.

The funding plan, as approved by the city, county and the state Division of Community and Economic Development, calls for the three to contribute $170,000 each toward architectural plans for a $45 million expansion project. That money would also fund a large exhibit tent for the outdoor retailers this summer.

Next, a $10 million bond would be issued that would pay for a new, level structure to the west. That structure would allow the convention planners to construct a better, larger temporary exhibit tent for the retailers show in 2005.

The debt payments on that $10 million bond would be split, with the city paying $250,000, the county paying $500,000 and the state paying $200,000 for 10 years.

Then, following the retailers summer show in 2005, a $45 million bond would be issued to pay off the $10 million bond and fund a $35 million, 175,000-square-foot expansion on the level space in time for the outdoor retailers summer show in 2006.

That $45 million bond would be paid off through an increase in the hotel or restaurant tax, which would have to be approved by the Legislature. City Council members said legislative leaders are "warm" to the idea, but that could change.

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E-mail: aedwards@desnews.com; bsnyder@desnews.com