CRA

Among the changes in the 134-page contract from May's nonbinding MOU: The Rays increased their commitment by $100 million, to $1.37 billion, with a corresponding decrease in the public contribution.

The city council voted 4-3 to approve a motion to place the stadium issue on the agenda for the meeting — despite not having a draft of the agreement, which is still stuck at the negotiating table.

A draft is expected to go public Thursday. The agreement, which will include recent proposals by Councilman Bill Carlson, would then be added to upcoming agendas for the city council and county commission.

On Monday, the Rays are scheduled to announce the firm that will oversee building the ballpark. Meantime, Hillsborough College President Ken Atwater says definitive agreements on financing could reach local officials within days.

Bill Carlson says the Rays are receptive to his plan to cover Tampa's share of construction through new tax-increment revenue from the stadium district that would also seed a citywide infrastructure trust fund.

Mayor Jane Castor says council members have been kept informed and explains her frustration was over last week's votes, but remains optimistic a deal can be done that maintains Tampa's role in the project.

Members of Tampa's CRA board have said they may have sought alternatives to using CRA funds if they had been involved earlier in negotiations over the stadium financing package.

In the wake of two city council votes that could set back the project, the Rays brought out illustrations to reinforce their view that the venue is a year-round "economic engine" that goes beyond baseball.

CEO Ken Babby meets with councilman Bill Carlson a day after two contentious decisions by the council and CRA board. Meantime, Mayor Jane Castor rebuked council members, eliciting a sharp response from Carlson.

Council members removed a key vote from an August meeting on using $100 million from the Drew Park CRA for the stadium project, then halted a procedural transmission of land-use changes for state review.

The privately financed development, key to a plan to use revenue from the Drew Park CRA, will include office space that Rays CEO Ken Babby said has drawn early interest from Fortune 500 companies.

Ken Hagan, chair of the Hillsborough County Commission, says negotiations have included a way to transfer at least part of the city's $180 million investment to the county.