Dukes wants fees rather than taxes for new arena

It's important to John Dukes, and according to him, building a new sports and entertainment complex should be a vital concern for all residents within the region.

The Yuba City mayor is moving forward with the Joint Powers Authority plan after Monday's announcement that the Kings will remain in Sacramento for at least one more season.

The plan is made up of regional leaders from six counties — all seeking one goal — to build a new arena.

Kings primary owners Joe and Gavin Maloof said Monday that it's now up to Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and community business leaders to come up with a viable plan. The Maloofs were on the verge on relocating the team to Anaheim for economic purposes.

A feasibility study for a new arena in Sacramento is scheduled to be completed later this month.

"Economically, there are a lot of jobs created in the region because of the Kings," Dukes said. "The reason I got involved is because we need a new arena. We need to be prepared to go on without the Kings, because even if the team leaves, we'll need (a new arena) to attract a new team."

But it's not just about getting a professional team.

"We need a new arena not only for the Kings, but for the 300 place dates for other events in our region." Dukes said. "We have not been able to draw larger events and world-class talent to our arena because (Arco Arena) was poorly designed and outdated."

The combination of the low-budget built Arco Arena (now Power Balance Pavilion), fewer seats filled due to a weaker product on the court and frustration with the city, has led the Maloofs to consider the move.

The concept behind the Joint Powers Authority committee is to provide insight on how to raise funds for a new arena, which is expected to be more than $200 million.

However, Johnson has been firm on not proposing a tax measure for a new sports complex. Residents voted down a tax proposal in 2005, which would have served to build a new home for the Kings.

That's where Dukes and his commission believe they can be of service.

"We want to take a different approach, more tourism related," he said. "We're looking at fees, no general fund tax money. We're looking at private and public investment, fees that can be developed by people who travel through the area. There are a lot of different options."

Dukes also believes it would be more feasible and quicker to build on or near the current arena, rather than to start elsewhere.

But for now, he, like every other Kings fan in the area, is enjoying Monday's victory.

"We're going to celebrate our win here a little bit," he chuckled. "But we will sit down and discuss our options to move ahead with a new arena."