Eugene approves bond referral for proposed Emeralds stadium, but leaves itself an out

Corrections and Clarification: This story was updated at 10 a.m., Friday, to explain that if the bond passes, it would levy taxes for 20 years.

Eugene city councilors voted 7-1 Wednesday on tentative approval of a $15 million referral that could help fund the construction of a new stadium for the Eugene Emeralds baseball team.

The bond would head to voters' ballots in this May's elections, letting voters decide whether to set aside money for the project. The council left itself an out, though, reserving a slot for its scheduled March 13 meeting to reconsider the vote.

"We certainly have other needs and have identified other priorities that we need to fund, but the basic underlying question is should the community build a new public facility or not?" Councilor Mike Clark said. "I think that's the question for them to answer. That's the fair thing to do."

Councilor Jennifer Yeh, who cast the one vote against the motion, said she was concerned about putting a bond measure forward without more information from the county government, something she said risked harming the chances of future city ballot measures.

"The county has not demonstrated that the project would be sustainable. Nor have they greenlighted this project or committed their own funds," she said. "I can't with good conscience vote to ask my fellow taxpayers for their money for a project that doesn't seem to meet these minimum requirements."

While Yeh was the only vote against Wednesday's ballot referral, other councilors said they would be willing to reconsider based on available information at the council's March 13 meeting.

"I don't think we should put it forward to the city population to okay an unknown situation," Councilor Emily Semple said.

Wednesday's meeting was the council's last scheduled chance to allow enough time to put a measure on the May ballot. But councilors have until their spring recess to reverse course and rescind the ballot measure.

Eugene Emeralds baseball stadium funding gap

The reason for the proposed bond measure began with Major League Baseball's 2019 takeover and subsequent restructure of Minor League Baseball. In 2021, MLB introduced new stadium standards that PK Park, the current home of the Eugene Emeralds, does not meet. Since then, the Emeralds and Lane County government have been working on preliminary plans for a new stadium at the Lane Event Center.

Since the Register-Guard last reported on the project's projected funding gap, Emeralds's ownership announced an additional $10 million contribution to the construction, narrowing the funding gap to $33 million. This figure includes the cost of replacing the livestock arena and anticipates $35 million from Lane County's Car Rental and Transient Lodging Tax.

The Emeralds asked the city of Eugene for $15 million toward this gap. City leadership said the only way the city could realistically contribute that much would be through a voter-approved bond measure. In December, the council voted to revisit the bond measure, stipulating that the following measures must first be reached:

• Lane County commits construction funds.

• The Emeralds or county submit a "definitive plan" to fill the stadium funding gap.

• The Emeralds or county submit a plan for stadium operations & maintenance that does not rely on city resources.

Lane County's concerns about Emeralds stadium bond

In a letter from Lane County Administrator Steve Mokrohisky to Eugene City Manager Sarah Medary, Mokrohisky addressed the city's conditions. He explained that county commissioners had voted to increase the Transient Lodging Tax and Car Rental Tax but had not allocated a specific share to the stadium. Mokrohisky deemed it premature to do so before knowing the specific contributions from the city, state and private entities.

Once these contributions are determined, Mokrohisky stated that Transient Lodging Tax and Car Rental Tax funds could cover additional construction costs, depending on the final project gap. He explicitly mentioned that the use of city resources for operation and maintenance is not being considered.

"I think (the city) may be putting the cart before the horse," Commissioner David Loveall said at a January meeting where Mokrohisky shared the City Council's request with the county commissioners.

"There's a lot of funding gaps that we don't know about," Loveall said. "I think to hinge their decision on what they're going to do based on what we're going to do, (I'm) not really a fan of that," Loveall said, a sentiment that the other commissioners said they agreed with.

Public support for Eugene stadium mixed

At the last Eugene City Council meeting with general public comment, Emeralds General Manager Allan Benavides said the Emeralds' ownership was contributing a higher share of the cost than what happens with other stadiums, and that the project would keep the Emeralds in Eugene, enhance the fairgrounds and benefit the community and urged councilors to send voters the bond.

"This public-private partnership will create a stadium that not only hosts incredible baseball games but is also going to be a gathering space for emergencies … better high school graduations, bigger events for our county and city with concerts that bypass us," he said. "We need a win for everybody and I believe that this project is that."

Allen McWayne, one of the more vocal critics of the stadium, also testified and shared information arguing against the stadium with city leaders. McWayne said the proposal would reduce outdoor space at the fairgrounds, was too expensive, would harm the residential character of the neighborhood and that taxpayer money shouldn't go to benefit a private company.

"It is too large. It's in the wrong location. It will require removal of the indoor arena. It will detract from (Lane Events Center) operations and would lose $200,000 each year," he said. "The easiest decision for this council would be to let the voters decide, but you risk your credibility by asking taxpayers to fund a $15 million bond while reducing city services by $15 million."

The city projected that if it passes, the bond would charge $0.08 per $1,000 of assessed property value each year for 20 years, or $22 per year for an average Eugene homeowner.

Alan Torres covers local government for the Register-Guard. He can be reached over email at atorres@registerguard.com or on X @alanfryetorres.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Eugene approves bond referral for proposed Emeralds stadium