County Council Chairman Cort Ashton is trying to convince his colleagues to support a plan that would give the team $23 million in hotel-tax dollars for stadium infrastructure — down from the $30 million the council rejected last week.

Under Ashton's plan, the county would control parking at the stadium as well as the $137 million the facility would generate in 2008, according to team financial documents obtained by the Deseret Morning News. But before any plan is approved, the stadium-funding proposal would go before the county's Debt Review Committee and be up for debate in a public hearing.

Ashton said although Checketts' recent public tongue-lashing of the council and County Mayor Peter Corroon was probably not in good taste, "lots of people have stubbed their toes" and said things they shouldn't have in the process of stadium negotiations.

"I certainly have tried to not take anything personally," Ashton said. "I'm just hoping cooler heads will prevail, and we will all be ladies and gentlemen and statesmen about it and doing what's best for the county.

"Some may call it a gamble," he added. "I don't know what in life isn't."

Councilman Joe Hatch said he won't support a stadium-funding plan without a guarantee that downtown Salt Lake will reap substantial benefit from the hotel-room tax.

All in all, Hatch said any attempt to create a new funding plan in Salt Lake County is a complete waste of time.

"I honestly believe it's now totally, completely unsalvageable," Hatch said of a stadium-funding deal through the county. "Why are we still working on this? Don't we have a sense of pride?"

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E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com; alinford@desnews.com