Should City Pay for Councilmembers' Soccer Study Trip?

Four Elk Grove officials will visit a Major League Soccer stadium in Texas next week as part of an investigation into bringing a similar arena to Elk Grove, but a city council member not involved in the trip said Wednesday he opposes spending city money on it.

"I personally think it's premature," Councilmember Steve Detrick said of the $5,000 field trip.

The city recently formed a five-year partnership with Northern California Soccer, a group headed by former Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, to explore the possibility of attracting a Major League Soccer team to town. The city will also pay consultant Conventions Sports and Leisure $50,000 for advice on the project, under a contract signed last month.

City Manager Laura Gill said the FC Dallas stadium she and other officials will visit in Frisco, Texas next Tuesday and Wednesday boasts several features that might work well in Elk Grove.

"This has youth soccer fields as well as a stadium that has the capacity of holding outdoor concerts," Gill said. "They have a long-term economic development strategy to hone in on sports."

Mayor Jim Cooper, Councilmember Gary Davis and city economic development director Randy Starbuck will all make the trip along with Gill. While in Texas, they also plan to meet with representatives of Howard Hughes Corporation, owner of the stalled , said city spokesperson Christine Brainerd.

The MLS project faces a number of hurdles, and some local soccer fans have .

At Wednesday's council meeting, Detrick said he wanted to go on record as opposing the trip. "The forecast is five years out on this, so I think we're a little bit ahead of the game," he said.

Davis, however, told Elk Grove Patch the trip was as much about applying pressure on the Howard Hughes Corp. as visiting the stadium site.

"Residents expect the mall to be completed, but the owner is dragging their feet. We need a face-to-face meeting with the president of the company to light a fire," Davis said.

"Next week's trip is very cost-effective, because we're doing two things in one location."

Should the city be spending money on this trip? Tell us in the comments.