As promised, Lane Beattie delivered some good news about the cost of the 2002 Winter Games to his former colleagues in the Legislature during his first report to them as the state's Olympic officer.
The former Senate president told members of the Revenue and Taxation Interim Committee Wednesday that Gov. Mike Leavitt will ask them next session to come up with significantly less money to cover Olympic costs than previously announced.
The most recent estimate prepared by the governor's office suggested that state agencies would need a total of $31 million for public safety, transportation, economic development and other expenses related to the Games.
Beattie, who was sworn in Wednesday as state Olympic officer, was not prepared Wednesday to announce just how much lower the governor's budget request would be, but he said it would be reduced by at least the $15 million now coming as a result of a deal made with the Salt Lake Organizing Committee.
That money includes $2 million from SLOC plus another $13 million that would have been collected in sales taxes on tickets. Lawmakers agreed not to tax tickets last session if the money instead went to offset public safety costs.
Beattie told the Deseret News earlier this week that the revised budget for Olympic costs could be ready in the next few weeks. He said in an interview he would not wait for the Legislature's interim meeting in October to announce the new total.
The state has yet to sign off on the details of the $15 million deal, although Beattie said Wednesday he expected to clear up some remaining questions about the state's responsibility for paying other costs by the October meeting.
State officials are still trying to determine whether the agreement with SLOC and local governments along the Wasatch Front exposes the state to more liability than the Legislature intended when it approved the deal last session.
The state agreed even before Salt Lake City was awarded the Games by the International Olympic Committee in 1995 to indemnify the city against any losses associated with hosting the event.
The language in the legislation creating the $15 million fund for public safety expenses states that Salt Lake City will not turn to the state for additional help with public safety or other services. Beattie said it is not clear what constitutes other services.
Some concerns have been dealt with, including who will pick up the $100,000 tab for snow removal at the athletes village under construction at the University of Utah. Beattie said that would be considered a public safety expense covered by the deal.
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