County commissioners will debatewhether to sink more revenue from hotel room taxesinto the arena, a plan that Raleigh CityCouncil members must also approve and one which Mayor Tom Fetzer opposes.
According toThe News & Observer, a majority ofcommissioners say they do not support giving an extra $60 million for theproject.
For the arena to open in early 1999,construction must start this spring.
The funding squabble has irked Felix Sabates Jr., who has beenleading a group of investors who want to lure a professional hockeyexpansion team to Raleigh. The team would play in the proposed new arena,and Sabates said he had been assured that funding for the arena was not indoubt. That uncertainty prompted Sabates to threaten a pullout by theinvestment group. Several other Southeast cities, including Nashville andNorfolk, are bidding for expansion franchises.
The meeting is set for 4:30 p.m.
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