by Jerry Feitelberg and Charlie O Mallonee

SACRAMENTO–The price tag on building the Sacramento Kings brand new arena has climbed to $507 million from the original estimate of $448 million then went to $477 million. Sacramento Assistant City Manager John Dangberg said in Sacramento Superior Court this week that the reason for the cost increase is that the new arena would help bring millions of dollars to Sacramento which would benefit the city. The city has put in $225 million for the land and other assets.

Dangberg admitted that the $60 million cost increase will go up further than the current $507 due to cost overruns, part of the cost of the hotel that will be built next door to the arena will run up to $13 million with the hotel plaza being shared with the Kings new arena will be constructed and factored in with the cost.

The arena is expected to open in October 2016 and is said to be one of the most advanced technologically arenas in the world. Plaintiffs in the case Issac Gonzalez, James Cathcart, and Julian Camacho say that Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson has not been forthcoming with the full value of the new arena. Gonzalez, Cathcart and Camacho point out that the city didn’t disclose in the beginning that they would throw in a parking lot with 3700 parking spaces and six digital signs along the freeways.

The plaintiffs said in the hearing that the city hid those pay out costs and benefits because the Kings ownership overpaid for the team in their bidding war with a Seattle group in 2013. The plaintiffs attorney Jeff Anderson in his opening comments said “fraud pervades the entire action by the city.” Meanwhile in her opening remarks to the court Attorney Dawn McIntosh representing the city said that the city was fully transparent and that the plaintiffs are disgruntled over the city subsidy.

Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley did not have a jury selected for this hearing and will render a decision himself at it’s conclusion. Mayor Johnson with Kings owner Vivek Ranadive are scheduled to testify on Tuesday.

Charlie O Mallonee and Jerry Feitelberg are talk show hosts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com