Recently, the rhetoric has gotten so hot among public officials that they are quickly becoming a parody of Scottish soccer hooligans. Lost in the debate are the facts that the public will need to know in order to make an informed decision.

It is going to cost about $65 million plus 10 acres of land to build the type of stadium requested by Real Salt Lake. The owners of Real have committed to invest $35 million in a stadium, so they have requested that local governments contribute the land plus about $30 million toward the construction. Understandably, a government subsidy of about 50 percent of the costs of a professional sports facility rubs a lot of people the wrong way.

It is important to note that all three significant professional teams in Salt Lake County perform in facilities whose construction has been subsidized by the government. Even the Delta Center's construction was subsidized to the tune of about $27 million. It is a fact of sports' economics that Salt Lake County will not have professional soccer for long unless government is willing to pay for a portion of the construction of a soccer stadium.

I think the jury is still out on whether or not it is a wise use of taxpayer resources to help build a stadium. I am not willing to absolutely say "no" to any government participation in the construction of a stadium. However, I have not yet heard of a proposal with which I am totally comfortable.

The state, which has financially tied the hands of both the cities and the county, is the appropriate place for the supporters of the soccer stadium to look for funds.

Initially, Salt Lake City and Murray put together proposals which included the use of Redevelopment Agency (RDA) funds for the purchase of land and requested Salt Lake County approve a $30 million general obligation bond at an election. These two proposals did not sit well with many.

To date, a majority of the Salt Lake County Council have publicly refused to commit to putting a soccer stadium bond on the ballot and the Utah State Legislature enacted a law making it virtually impossible to use RDA funds for professional sports facilities.

Sandy has recently floated a proposal which requires no county public bonding, but would require creating a common parking facility for the South Town Expo Center and the soccer stadium. In order for the Sandy proposal to work, the Utah Legislature would have to adopt authorizing legislation.

Several weeks ago, Salt Lake City proposed that the stadium be placed at the Utah State Fairgrounds. The funding for that proposal will probably also require legislative action. Most recently, individuals who desire to minimize any government funding for a soccer stadium have been floating the concept of continuing to house Real Salt Lake, for the next several years, at the Rice-Eccles Stadium.

This proposal would also require action by the state. I suspect that, in the light of these new proposals and if Murray wants to stay in competition, Murray is going to have to come up with a new funding proposal.

To a large degree, the public process has been working. Cities are now involving the state, rather than Salt Lake County, in their proposals to fund the stadium. However, looking to the Legislature is problematic, as many of its members are extremely skeptical of government- sponsored economic develop- ment.

Additionally, the Legislature is more prone to favor a city that is politically well-connected, whether or not that city is the best site for a stadium. These legislative realities do not favor Salt Lake City, and its council has publicly attacked members of the Salt Lake County Council for just talking to Sandy.

It should not be surprising to anyone that finding the appropriate level of government support for a stadium is very difficult. It should be.

What the public should demand of their elected officials, in this process, is patience, maximum openness, realism and, possibly most important, a sense of humor. Anger, cynicism, demagogy and absolutism will only ensure that professional soccer will not have much of a future in Salt Lake County.

---

Joe Hatch is a member of the Salt Lake County Council.