City Officially Kills Arena Project After $680,000 Spent
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - The Sacramento City Council officially laid to rest the downtown arena deal on Tuesday night, cutting off any more funding after already spending nearly $700,000 on the failed project.
"This expenditure should prove to everyone that we did in fact hire economists, business folks and consultants," Councilwoman Angelique Ashby said at Tuesday's council meeting.
It was the final, flat note to what became a dizzying score of arena-themed sound bites.
It started with that tearful celebration announcing the $391 million arena deal in Orlando in February.
Then the sudden shift - a mayor-Maloof feud. The two sides eventually parted with what Mayor Kevin Johnson called "irreconcilable differences."
On this night with no arena agreement, the city formally rescinded continuing public funding for arena plans. It has already spent $680,000 in lawyers, consultants and other fees on the arena plans.
The tab did not sit well with one speaker at Tuesday's meeting.
"These are failures," the man said. "City manager, admit your failure and say we made a mistake."
And on the same night that bill was presented to council, more money concerns were raised about another sport.
Participants in a children's disability sports program spoke in council chambers about concerns their city funding is set to be cut by roughly $400,000.
"These programs are one of the things we have to save for this community," said Access Leisure volunteer Michael Ubaldi.
A city with more money problems and another dead arena deal - it's a storyline that sounds like a broken record.
