Emeralds' stadium bond will go to Eugene voters in May

Alan Torres, Eugene Register-Guard
·2 min read
The conceptual design of the proposed 4,200 capacity Emeralds' stadium and multiuse facility at the Lane County Fairgrounds.
The conceptual design of the proposed 4,200 capacity Emeralds' stadium and multiuse facility at the Lane County Fairgrounds.

A bond measure to partially pay for a Eugene Emeralds stadium and multiuse facility will appear on the May ballot for Eugene voters to consider.

Eugene city councilors shared mixed emotions at a meeting Wednesday. They said they didn't get information about the project that they had hoped to receive by now, but Eugene voters should still get the opportunity to decide.

"Based on all the input that we've received, which by my count is a lot, I like the idea of letting the public weigh in," Councilor Randy Groves said. "It seems like the proponents are willing to take an up or down public vote, and most of what I've seen from the opponents are trying to keep this from ever getting to the public. So I'm in favor of having both sides being able to weigh in."

Mayor Lucy Vinis, city councilors, and City Attorney Kathryn Brotherton spent more than 20 minutes wordsmithing the ballot statement they will submit for the May voters' pamphlet, with the stated goal of making it as neutral as possible. They didn't land on a final statement at the meeting, but chose to:

  • Ask voters for "consideration" rather than "support" of the bond.

  • Clarify that the city would only assist the project financially.

  • Clarify that the bond would be used for "construction" rather than "development" of the project.

  • Remove language that the city's contribution would be 15% of the project, following Tuesday's meeting where county officials acknowledged the exact cost remained uncertain. However, the ballot title will describe the total cost as $90 million, which is on the low end of estimates.

  • Added the word "potentially" in front of a list of possible facility uses, and removed "City of Eugene events" from that list, saying city events haven't been part of any project agreement so far.

  • Include formal language from the state legislature's $15 million allocation to the project, but also consider adding more or less detail in relation to the project's other funding sources.

"I appreciate the thoughtful conversation and the deliberation and the attorney's advice," Vinis told councilors at the end of the discussion.

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 voters will decide on bond measure for Emeralds' stadium