Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Judge: Enough signatures to let voters decide on stadium funding

Stadium

Cordish Cos.

Artist’s rendering of proposed stadium.

Updated Friday, Feb. 6, 2015 | 3:29 p.m.

Las Vegas voters will decide if public funds should go toward a $200 million downtown soccer stadium after a judge ruled today that petitioners gathered enough signatures to qualify the issue for the June election ballot.

District Judge Jerry Wiese ruled the city erred in calculating that about 8,000 signatures were needed to put the issue on the ballot and ordered a lower threshold of 2,306 signatures be used.

Opponents of the stadium, which include Las Vegas City Council members Bob Beers, Stavros Anthony and Lois Tarkanian, turned in 6,966 valid signatures last month.

The city initially told the group it needed 2,306 signatures — a figure equal to 15 percent of voter turnout in the 2013 primary election.

But the city later changed its stance and said that about 8,000 signatures were needed, based on the 2011 general election turnout.

Stadium opponents challenged the decision in court, maintaining that the most recent election turnout should be used.

The city argued that turnout from the most recent general election should be used, based on wording in the Nevada Constitution. Because there was no general election in 2013, the 2011 turnout should be used, the city argued.

Wiese didn’t agree with the city’s interpretation and ruled the 2013 turnout numbers be used in calculating the number of required signatures.

That means — for now — the initiative, which would block public funding for the soccer stadium, will be on June’s ballot.

That could change, however, with further legal challenges expected from the city over the wording of the petition.

The Las Vegas City Council voted 4-3 in December to put about $100 million in city funds and land toward the soccer stadium project.

Beers, Anthony and Tarkanian voted against the project and launched a petition drive the following month to put the issue on the ballot.

In an impromptu press conference outside her house, Mayor Carolyn Goodman said she’s in favor of dropping any further legal challenges and letting the issue proceed to the June election.

“I can only speak for me ... I think the judge made the decision. We’ve gone through the proper process. It’s done; let’s move on.”

Goodman said it’s possible the council could discuss the next steps at its upcoming meeting on Feb. 18.

“We’ll probably do some more (community) meetings,” she said.

Goodman said she doesn’t think the people have gotten the facts about the stadium funding plan and are misconstruing hotel room tax dollars that would be used for the stadium, which are generated by tourists, with the property and sales taxes residents pay.

“I think they believe that these are their tax dollars, and they aren’t,” she said.

Beers said he was glad the judge ruled to allow the initiative on the ballot and pointed out that the opposition group gathered three times the number of required signatures.

He disagreed with Goodman that the people didn’t grasp the funding plan.

“I have a very strong impression that people don’t need much more education,” Beers said. “I think people understand it. I think the mayor understands in her heart that the people understand this. That’s why she was so passionate about keeping it off the ballot.”

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