DALLAS - With the help of a powerful lobbyist, the Dallas Cowboys are building a casefor Dallas County to create a countywide sports authority that would issue bonds tofinance a new stadium for the National Football League team.
As the Cowboys approach their 32nd season in Texas Stadium, located in the Dallas suburbof Irving, owner Jerry Jones is pacing the sidelines as other teams launch a buildingboom financed with municipal revenue bonds.
If plans promoted by political consultant Rob Allyn come to fruition, Dallas County willcreate a sports authority similar to one in Arizona's Maricopa County, which is breakingground on a $330 million stadium for the Arizona Cardinals this month. That facilitywill be built in part with $220 million of revenue bonds issued last month by theArizona Tourism and Sports Authority.
A similar approach was used in building a new stadium for the NFL expansion team HoustonTexans.
"The option of creating a countywide, regional sports authority is certainly one of themost promising options," Allyn told the Dallas Morning News. "This project will bemarkedly different - night and day - from any sports facility that has been doneanywhere in the country."
Allyn, who guided the successful political campaign of Mexico's President Vicente Fox,also helped shape the political ad strategy of the current U.S. President, George W.Bush.
In laying the groundwork for the new stadium authority, Allyn has met with Dallas Countycommissioners and key members of the Texas Legislature.
To create the new authority, the team may need enabling legislation from the legislaturebefore a public vote can be held. Under one scenario, the authority would be formedunder existing law allowing local governments to levy taxes for sports arenas.
The city of Dallas used that law to raise hotel-occupancy and car-rental taxes to repaythe debt it issued to help build American Airlines Center, an arena that serves as hometo the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and the NHL's Dallas Stars.
The Dallas hotel tax also pays down debt at the Dallas Convention Center and funds theDallas Convention & Visitors Bureau. Hotel and car-rental taxes have been used tofinance new stadiums in Houston and San Antonio.
Dallas County Judge Margaret Keliher, who presides over the Dallas County CommissionersCourt, met with Allyn last week and said she would support the new authority providedthe stadium is in Dallas County and near a light-rail station.
Like the multipurpose stadium in Arizona, which will serve a variety of functions, thenew Cowboys stadium is expected to be designed for more than just football.
Jones has talked about a complex that would include retail shops, office space, andpossibly a hotel. Adjacent athletic fields would be available to the public.
