Majority Of Utah Residents Oppose Giving $35M For RSL Stadium

The majority of Utah residents "still strongly oppose using a state-approved" $35M for a soccer stadium in Sandy for Real Salt Lake (RSL), according to a phone poll of 410 people conducted by Dan Jones & Associates and cited by Amelia Nielson-Stowell of the DESERET NEWS. The poll, commissioned by the Deseret News and KSL-NBC, shows that 56% of state residents and 60% of Salt Lake County residents oppose the state Legislature's decision to give $35M of the county's hotel tax dollars to the project. The results of the poll are “similar to previous survey findings.” The poll was conducted May 21-24 and has a margin of error of 5 percentage points. RSL spokesperson Eric Gelfand said, “When people are properly educated that the hotel taxes are paid nearly 100[%] by out-of-towners, they are in favor of it.”  The following presents the poll's results (DESERET NEWS, 6/4).

RSL STADIUM TAX SUBSIDY POLL
RESPONSE	TOTAL	SALT LAKE COUNTY
Strongly Favor	13%	16%
Somewhat Favor	26%	20%
Somewhat Oppose	14%	10%
Strongly Oppose	42%	50%
Don't Know	5%	3%

COMPLEX SITUATION: In Salt Lake City, Rosemary Winters reports RSL is "poised to make good on its promise to pay" $7.5M toward the city's proposed youth sports complex, "although the team's ... deadline passed Friday." The money is "one of the conditions RSL must meet" to receive the $35M in tax money for the stadium (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 6/5).