PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Multnomah County commissioners are set to vote Thursday on a resolution affirming the county’s commitment to funding its portion of renovation work at Moda Center, as a debate has started about how much the county should contribute.The Portland Trail Blazers have said the team agreed to a framework funding proposal with the governor, county chair, and mayor for a $573 million public contribution. The state approved up to $365 million; Portland Mayor Keith Wilson proposed $120 million from the city, and Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson proposed $88 million from the county.The city is set to approve its term sheet outlining its investment on August 12.The state funding is contingent on a “substantial” contribution from the city and county, though it’s unclear how the state may define substantial. KATU has reached out to the department in charge of that determination and asked.The county will vote on its portion with competing proposals on the table – the chair’s $88-million proposal and a proposal from Commissioners Julia Brim-Edwards and Meghan Moyer to contribute $53 million to the renovation work.READ MORE | Two Multnomah County commissioners seek to reduce county share of Moda Center renovationThe commissioners said the $88 million investment is outsized for the county and expressed concerns the county isn’t receiving enough in return; the city’s draft term sheet included payments from the team that would leave the city with equal ongoing revenue through the life of the lease.The big question now is, can those two commissioners convince one of their colleagues to vote in favor of their proposal, giving it the necessary three votes to pass?Commissioner Vince Jones-Dixon’s chief of staff did not tell KATU how Jones-Dixon would vote but said he is “comfortable” with the Vega Pederson’s $88 million proposal and is “ready to move forward.” Additionally, he said it was important to show the NBA that the city and county governments are serious about a deal.Commissioner Shannon Singleton, meanwhile, told KATU Tuesday she had not seen the amendment, but she was concerned about whether any material changes could affect the state funding and broader deal. She also expressed concern about a “blighted” arena in her district if the renovations don’t happen.“I think I don’t want people to lose sight of this is not just a public asset, but it’s also in my district, and it’s an important part of my district where again the community has been displaced because of this arena, because of the actions of our Department of Transportation, because of so many different things, and walking away from this community and leaving a blighted arena is also not the right answer,” Singleton said.Singleton proposed amending some of the language in Vega Pederson’s resolution – including protections for the county if the team left before a long-term lease is over and stipulations that the county could amend its contribution depending on what passes the city council.Importantly, her amendment left the renovation funding intact at $88 million from Vega Pederson’s proposal.Thursday’s vote is a tentative commitment for negotiations. Final votes approving a long-term deal at both the city and county levels will happen later this year.This is a developing story. KATU will update it as we get more information.



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