Well, stick a nail in the Billionaires Tunnel coffin, cause now it officially is defunded.

Buh bye!

Just put a rush hour tax on stadium tickets, and Conlin will be aboard.

"...that public funds are necessary to proceed..."

What public funds are being used? We're talking bonding capacity. It might be right to say public financing. But when you say public funding or public funds, people think you're opening up the treasury and handing over money collected from taxes.

Doom: You're stupid.
Will: You're even stupider (if such a thing could be possible).
I suspect Conlin voted against this thing because he is contemplating a run for mayor, and it assures he gets his name singled out in print while knowing the deal will pass anyway. It's an old trick. I've been around City Hall too long.

@5 bonding authority has a cap of the amount we just spent, without a Vote Of The Citizens.

Hey, you overspend it, I just call it what it is. You can't overcharge the bonding limits without approval.

@6 The tunnel is state financed. The city has not yet used any of its bonding authority.

@7 and yet Seattle is on the hook for it.

Can't squeeze blood from a turnip that's already been crushed with massive debt stones.

Was there ever any doubt what they'd do? The "progressives" in this city are every last bit as corrupt as any Republican in Bellevue.

@3 TI asks 'what public funds' worried "people think you're opening up the treasury and handing over money collected from taxes".

Because the deal is allowing ArenaCo to use future taxes owed to instead help pay down the debt, we are diverting $160M (or whatever) into this arena. Diversion of future tax revenues is "handing over money collected from taxes" in many people's view.

Using these to pay for the part of construction in general is directing these monies to that "city" purpose. Not the best choice of places to put money in many people's view as well.

And McKnieval's misdirection of city resources for the past year into this deal has already widened the canyon, and will do so well into the future.

A bit more Seattle process could have helped here perhaps...

Oy, Will, enough about the tunnel. The thing's being built.