The highlights of the text of the city ordinance:
WHEREAS, the Seattle SuperSonics have played
professional basketball
in Seattle for 40 years, including winning a National
Basketball
Association championship in 1979 with the starting five
of Gus
Williams, Dennis Johnson, Jack Sikma, Lonnie Shelton and
John
Johnson; and
WHEREAS, the Seattle Storm have played professional
basketball in
Seattle for eight years and won a championship in 2004
with the
starting five of Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson, Kamila
Vodichkova, Betty
Lennox and Sheri Sam; and
WHEREAS, the Seattle community has been immeasurably
enriched through
the volunteer work of Seattle SuperSonics players; and
WHEREAS, the Sonics and Storm Foundation has made
financial
contributions to build or refurbish 26 basketball courts
through the
Neighbor Hoops program; and
WHEREAS, in 1993, the Seattle City Council approved a
contract for
the renovation of the Seattle Center Coliseum; and
WHEREAS, as a condition of that approval, the Council
sought a 20-
year lease term from SSI to coincide with the length of
the debt
financing; and
WHEREAS, the Council approved the contract for
renovation with only a
15-year lease term, because of the cultural, civic and
community
benefits derived from having the Seattle Supersonics
play their home
games in the City of Seattle; and
WHEREAS, the lease term was a material term of the
contract and a
principal incentive for Council approval of the original
contract;
and
WHEREAS, the principal benefit the City of Seattle
receives under the
Premises & Use Agreement is the promise that the Seattle
SuperSonics
will play all of their home games at the KeyArena; and
WHEREAS, the economic cost to the City of Seattle caused
by the
Seattle SuperSonics vacating the KeyArena earlier than
the term
provided for in the Premises Use & Occupancy Agreement
is impossible
to measure because of intangible factors such as
goodwill, prestige,
trade, commerce, and cultural and general economic
benefit to the
City; and
WHEREAS, the City Council must, by ordinance, approve
any amendment
to the Premises Use & Occupancy Agreement that would
allow that
Agreement to expire prior to September 30, 2010; NOW,
THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. It is the City Council's intent not to
propose or
to enact any ordinance that would have the effect of
approving any
amendment to the Premises Use & Occupancy Agreement
between the City
of Seattle and The Professional Basketball Club, L.L.C.
allowing the
Seattle SuperSonics to vacate the KeyArena prior to
September 30,
2010.