Minutes later, all hades broke loose.

The Salt Lake County Council - the group holding the purse strings on Sandy's $145 million Major League Soccer complex - peppered Checketts with the ferocity of an overtime shootout.

Will the team stay afloat? Can the county see RSL's financial books? Will there be beer? What assurances can you give taxpayers? Is this a leap of faith?

Councilman Mark Crockett, the most contentious of critics, then attempted to place the public funding question before voters on November's ballot. He was shot down by a 5-2 count with one abstention.

But Crockett had plenty of ammunition for Checketts - and some council cohorts - in what was his first face-to-face meeting with the sports mogul.

"We couldn't care less about the money you're spending. We're concerned about our investment," Crockett said about the $45 million in hotel tax money RSL wants for the stadium land and infrastructure. "We should have some reasonable assurance the team isn't going to leave in three years."

Checketts insists RSL is committed to Utah. In fact, the team expects to sell thousands more season tickets this year, he says, and one day may expand the 20,000-seat stadium.

Still, Councilman Jim Bradley took to the offense, demanding the county see some "true financials" from the team and its investors. Crockett later called for the MLS to open its leaguewide books as well.

And Bradley insisted other county projects such as a downtown cultural district receive a cut of the county's hotel tax increase. That so-called tourist tax was bumped 1.25 percent by the 2006 Legislature as a means to pay for the stadium. But the final decision on funding must come from the County Council.

"The public deserves a return on their investment just like any private investor," Bradley told Checketts. He also scolded the owner for not including a question about supporting a bond on an RSL-commissioned Dan Jones & Associates public survey.

"It would have been a good one."

Jumping into the fray, Councilman Marv Hendrickson wondered what happened to the team's early promises of a $90 million complex - since ballooned to $145 million to include a hotel and broadcast studio.

Jenny Wilson, the councilwoman who publicly pushed to keep the expansion team at the University of Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium, also raised questions about RSL's resilience.

"What assurances can you make that if we pull the trigger on this, we won't have an empty stadium in 10 years?" she asked.

Checketts calmly addressed each issue - "We'll really do whatever is responsive and responsible," he repeated - but rushed out of the County Government Center after the grilling.

"It got a little warm in there," Mayor Peter Corroon said moments after the meeting. "The council never lets me down."

Corroon said his team still is waiting to see a list of RSL investors and what they are contributing.

Meanwhile, he maintains there is "no problem" with letting the public decide, despite the council vote on the ballot question.

Crockett and Hendrickson were the only members to vote for the referendum, while Bradley abstained.

"It's always better to have the public's input on a deal as big as this," Corroon said.

Multiple council members, including Randy Horiuchi and Joe Hatch, argued the stadium deal was settled in the Legislature and should be honored.

"We had plenty of chances to lobby to beat the son of a gun," Horiuchi said. "We never directed our lobbyists to do that."

To that, Bradley blurted, "Weren't our lobbyists also on their payroll?" referring to The Tetris Group, which has contracts with both the county and RSL.

Undeterred, Horiuchi insisted that if the county torpedoed the soccer deal, its credibility on Capitol Hill would be sorely damaged. "It will serve as a message not to do business with Salt Lake County."

Even so, Crockett notes the legislation does not explicitly earmark the hotel money for soccer, nor has the council ever agreed.

"I don't think we recorded the winks and nods in those meetings," Horiuchi huffed.

"If you govern with a wink and a nod, go ahead and run for re-election," Crockett countered.

Crockett also challenged Checketts' portrayal of a "public-private partnership," calling it a subsidy instead.

"This is really about Real Estate 101," he said. "What kind of guarantee do we have that our financial investment doesn't go down a rat hole?"

During the blistering, two members of Checketts' public relations team sat in silence, while RSL Chief Economic Officer Dean Howes looked on, offering brief defenses. Several regulars around the round table held their hands over their mouths.

Hatch called it the harshest treatment of a guest he had seen during his five years on the council.

"It was like [Crockett] was cross-examining someone in a trial."

djensen@sltrib.com

Real Salt Lake stadium pitch:

* Season tickets bumped from 5,000 to 7,000

* Stadium could eventually host professional lacrosse team

* Real Salt Lake will host "the most famous team in soccer" this summer

* Could host Utah/BYU soccer games

* Perfect location for graduations and outdoor shows co-promoted by United Concerts

* Youth fields built in the stadium's shadow

* MLS in best-ever financial health

* Complex will provide national and international exposure

Beer Bust

Joe Hatch insists imbibers in Utah can handle their booze.

As such, the Salt Lake County Councilman pleaded Tuesday with Real Salt Lake owner Dave Checketts to sell beer at the Sandy soccer stadium.

"This idea of no beer is just not very good," Hatch said, noting he has heard from many consuming constituents. "Please reconsider."

Checketts insisted he has yet to decide on whether to sell suds. "I want to have the dialogue," he told the council.

The RSL owner explained that he comes from a city where people abuse the privilege, referring to New York Rangers hockey fans, and worries about drinking and driving. He also mentioned a $135 million lawsuit filed against the New York Giants after an incident with a drunken fan.

"At some point, team owners are going to be responsible for this," Checketts said.

Hatch sympathized, sort of.

"I don't want to compare Utah drinkers with the Rangers fans in New York," he joked. But "Utah drinkers are very responsible."

- Derek P. Jensen