Controversy within the City Council about new stadium

A Colorado Springs city councilman says the council president is being dishonest and deceiving the public.

It stems from plans they both have about a downtown stadium which would cost hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars.

So Councilman Joel Miller posted 19 pages of emails between he and Council President Keith King.

Miller’s defending his ballot issue on taxpayer money and a downtown stadium.

Miller says he doesn’t think voters are getting the whole truth.

“It’s going to cost $200 million of public money but the mayor has said very clearly the city isn’t going to own it. Who’s going to own it?” Miller said.

But he says it’s up to the people.

“I believe a stadium is not in the role of government. It should be approved by the people,” Miller said.

He’s firmly against the competing proposal, which in his words eliminates public input into part of the project’s funding.

“We’re going to use taxpayer money to build something when we can’t pay for the role citizens expect from their government,” he said.

“I’m trying to find a way to bring the business community and the council and everybody together to bring it all to a public vote. I hope we get there,” King said.

King says nothing in his new proposal eliminates a public vote.

“They both go forward to the voters, mine allows business expansion,” King said.

He insists the only key difference is over the timeline of construction. King wants to see four buildings completed simultaneously, from an Olympic museum to the stadium itself.

“These are complicated things. This is a good discussion. You have taxing: state, local, property, lots of competing things,” King said.

The council will discuss these new plans at next week’s work session is next Monday afternoon at 1 p.m. at City Hall.

The last meeting involving the City For Champions project included public comment, and lasted nearly four hours.

For a link to the emails published by Councilman Miller, click here