Source: WISH-TV / other
INDIANAPOLIS — It was once again bipartisan on both sides of the issue in last night’s vote by the Indianapolis City-County Council to approve a proposal to begin the process of courting an MLS expansion franchise to the city.
By approving “Proposal 175” by a vote of 16-8, with one abstention, the city will submit a proposal to the state budget committee to create a special tax district to support the construction of a soccer-specific stadium where the current Indianapolis Heliport is located.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because the city did the same thing last year for the proposed Eleven Park project at the site of the now demolished Diamond Chain building, which the city backed away from in the previous few months citing several reasons from concerns about the impact on taxpayers to the question of what to do with human remains buried at the Eleven Park construction site from what used to be the Greenlawn Cemetery.
Councilor Dan Boots led off the discussion reminding councilors that if they voted against the proposal the mayor would not submit the Eleven Park project to the state budget committee. He said that would effectively kill any chance of MLS coming to Indianapolis. Furthermore, he said MLS wants nothing to do with the Diamond Chain site.
“The MLS will not grant a franchise to a team that will play on the Diamond Chain site because of the cemetery issue,” asserted Boots. “A professional sports league does not want to touch that issue with a ten-foot pole. It’s very simple.”
Boots said he “accepts it as a fact” that MLS has said they will not have anything to do with the Diamond Chain site. However, some councilors pushed back at Boots’ assertion. Councilor Michael Paul Hart asked for proof.
“I also don’t know if MLS really won’t build on that site. I have no fact, no proof, no phone call,” Hart said. “There is nothing with an MLS letterhead that actually states they won’t build on the current plan we’ve already agreed to as a council.”
Councilor Jesse Brown urged his colleagues to “Please present something as fact rather than ‘Trust me, I was in the back room’.”
Hart reminded councilors that there was a groundbreaking that Mayor Joe Hogsett, Gov. Eric Holcomb, and other dignitaries attended late last year for the Eleven Park project.
“There is no other viable option,” said Councilor Ron Gibson, who voted in favor of the MLS stadium. “If we create this special tax district this gives us a special advantage to bring MLS here. This is the chance of a lifetime.”
The approval of the tax district means that the city will be able to submit the proposal to the state budget committee before a June 26th deadline. The state legislature will now have to consider it and approve the tax district in due course.
Councilors in support of it say this is just the leaping-off point for the whole project which can now enter into more lucrative planning phases, such as designing a stadium and figuring out other financing options to pay for it.
In the meantime, this is all happening under the assumption that Indianapolis will be granted an MLS franchise, which was another point of concern for Councilor Hart.
“We don’t know that we will actually have a team after this whole submission. It’s very speculative in this process,” Hart said.
“Tonight’s vote comes with a continued lack of answers,” said the Brickyard Battalion, an unaffiliated Indy Eleven fan group, in a written statement. “We fear this will create further barriers between the city and Indy Eleven’s ownership group. Since 1992, we have seen over 150 men’s and women’s professional soccer clubs fold. If Indy Eleven is added to this tally due to the actions of the City, we cannot promise our support for future soccer endeavors.”
Many councilors expressed their desire to see Indy Eleven included in the process going forward in bringing an MLS franchise to the Circle City.
Mayor Joe Hogsett released the following statement after the vote:
Tonight, a bipartisan vote of the City-County Council sent a resounding message: Indianapolis is ready to write the next chapter in our sports story. Over the coming months, our community will unite in pursuit of this once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure a Major League Soccer expansion club for our city.
I’m grateful to the City-County Council for supporting the vision to solidify Indianapolis as America’s greatest sports city and I extend my thanks to the residents who continue to participate passionately in this process.
Indy Eleven co-owner Erzal Ozdemir released the following statement:
