The stadium deal taxpayers are still arguing about

The renderings are spectacular. The financing structure, which is the part that will outlast the building, is considerably less photogenic.

The headline figure covers construction. It does not cover infrastructure, transit upgrades or the maintenance schedule after year fifteen.

Who carries the risk

Under the current draft, cost overruns above a threshold fall to the public side, a clause the club describes as standard and critics describe as the whole ballgame.

Economists remain split on whether stadiums generate net new spending or simply move it a few kilometres.

The council vote is in October and, for once, the outcome is genuinely uncertain.