The Rockets have agreed to "participate in a fall
election" on a $175M downtown arena agreement, "ending
nearly seven months of negotiations," according to Eric
Berger of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Berger: "This clears the
way for the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority to call a
Nov. 7 referendum on the issue, which it is expected to do
Friday, almost a year after it put a different arena measure
on the ballot. ... The Rockets had withheld giving the
sports authority a green light to call the election as they
endeavored to gauge whether organized opposition, which is
largely credited with killing last year's deal, would
surface again." Although that question "hasn't fully been
answered," Rockets execs said last night that "the time for
a decision had come." Rockets COO George Postolos: "The
Rockets and Comets want to be in Houston. We've worked with
the public's representatives to fashion an agreement that's
reasonable and fair" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 8/31).
FLAME ON? Meanwhile, Berger reports that the Houston
City Council yesterday "unanimously called" a November 7
ballot referendum -- with the city of Houston only -- on
whether a trust fund should be created to "cover any
potential shortfall" in the budget for the city's bid for
the 2012 Olympic Summer Games, should the city be chosen as
the host. The addition of the referendum to the ballot "has
political ramifications" in regard to the arena, and "most
analysts believe having two sports referendums on a ballot
hurt both issues' chances" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 8/31).
