DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Vote on funding ballpark delayed

Chairwoman Linda Cropp proposed another plan for the major league stadium.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The District of Columbia Council delayed a vote on funding a new ballpark for the Expos, with Council Chair Linda Cropp proposing another new plan Tuesday.
Last week, Cropp said the new ballpark should be adjacent to RFK Stadium rather than at the site south of the U.S. Capitol called for in the agreement Washington signed with the Expos in September. That original deal called for $435 million to be spent on site acquisition, a new ballpark and refurbishing RFK Stadium as a temporary home for the team for the next three seasons.
On Tuesday, Cropp proposed that the ballpark remain at the site specified in the agreement, but said the city should pay $150 million and that a private entity be responsible for $350 million.
Promised a vote
She promised a vote in two weeks on both the plan in the agreement and her proposal.
"I don't want to slow them down," Cropp said. "If we could save businesses and taxpayers $350 million, it is extremely valuable to take this two-week period "
Mayor Anthony A. Williams called the delay a setback but said he will push for enactment of the original plan, which requires approval from a majority of the council's 13 members.
"I believe the reason we're not having the vote today is because we have the votes," Williams said.
Under Williams' proposal, the district would pay about $11 million per year to finance $550 million in revenue bonds. Spokesman Chris Bender said that money would come from a gross receipts tax -- not the general fund used for areas such as schools and libraries. Companies near the stadium subject to gross receipt taxes would pay $4 million a year.
Open to offers
Williams and Bill Hall, the baseball committee chairman of the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission, said they are open to offers to blend the financing with a private company, but it would have to be a better deal for taxpayers than what's on the table now.
"My overriding interest is that it gets done in a way that's best for the city and gets done in a way that (upholds) our agreement," Hall said.
The Expos' agreement with Washington requires funding to be approved by Dec. 31. In addition, baseball owners must approve the move and baseball must defeat an attempt by the Expos' former limited partners to gain an injunction blocking a relocation. A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 6 in federal court in Miami.