Committee gets more time to work out stadium details

Published Wednesday, July 13, 2016 | 12:01 p.m.

Updated Wednesday, July 13, 2016 | 1:23 p.m.

Gov. Brian Sandoval today gave an 11-member tourism panel two more months to vet plans for a 65,000-seat stadium that may attract the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas.

Sandoval signed an executive order that extends the deadline of the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee until Sept. 30. The committee was supposed to finalize its recommendations by the end of this month, but Chairman Steve Hill said this week he would request more time to continue working through the stadium project.

Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Majestic Realty Co. are seeking $750 million in public funding, likely from room taxes, to build the stadium as a venue for NFL games, UNLV football games, concerts and other events. Per the most recent estimates, the total development cost of the stadium could range from $1.7 billion to $2.1 billion.

But the stadium proposal remains filled with uncertainties, including the project’s funding and where the facility would be built. Backers presented nine possible locations on Monday and are expected to narrow that list in the coming weeks.

Even if those details are resolved before the infrastructure committee finalizes its recommendations, the proposal would likely still require a special session of the state Legislature. And while the Raiders have demonstrated a clear interest in moving into the stadium, 24 of 32 NFL team owners would need to approve the relocation.

In his order today, Sandoval made two major amendments to his original order that created the infrastructure committee last July. The first amendment extends the committee’s existence and deadline; the second states that the committee can recommend “funding from appropriate sources” to address law enforcement and policing needs for Southern Nevada tourists and residents.

While the proposed stadium and plans to renovate and expand the Las Vegas Convention Center have taken up much of the committee’s attention, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department also became an issue.

Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo has told the committee he needs additional funding, but it was previously unclear whether the committee had the authority to make a recommendation on that issue. Enabling legislation that would have allowed for more funding of law enforcement expired on July 1, according to Sandoval's order.

Sandoval said in a statement today that he created the committee a year ago to examine proposals and ways of funding projects that would “enhance Southern Nevada’s ability to compete in an increasingly competitive market.”

“The committee has done an outstanding job in managing and pursuing a robust and complex agenda but its work is not complete,” Sandoval said in the statement. “The additional time will allow the committee to thoroughly evaluate sites for a potential stadium and work with private partners to finalize any recommendations for legislative action, and provides the opportunity for recommendations concerning the law enforcement needs of Southern Nevada.”

The committee has already approved a legislative recommendation for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s $1.4 billion expansion and renovation project. That would allow the authority to build a new convention facility on the site of the former Riviera, as well as renovate the existing Las Vegas Convention Center across Paradise Road.