City Council and the 76ers continue to spar over community benefits funding as arena talks come down to the wire

The fate of the 76ers’ Center City arena plan may come down to a game of legislative chicken.

Councilmember Mark Squilla on Thursday morning plans to propose an amendment to the legislation authorizing the $1.3 billion project that would require the 76ers to pay $75.8 million for the project’s community benefits agreement, according to a Council memo obtained by The Inquirer.

» READ MORE: City Council postpones vote on 76ers arena in Center City as negotiations drag on

The team, however, has not agreed to pay that much, according to a source close to the 76ers who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The 76ers have publicly offered $50 million for the agreement and have agreed in negotiations to go as high as $60 million, the person said. It would be highly unusual for lawmakers to move forward with a deal the team hasn’t agreed to in advance, but Council is considering doing just that as negotiations come down to the wire.

The team, however, has not agreed to pay that much, according to a source close to the 76ers who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The 76ers have publicly offered $50 million for the agreement and have agreed in negotiations to go as high as $60 million, the person said.

Squilla, who introduced the legislation authorizing the arena, represents Council’s 1st District, which includes the proposed arena site, between 10th and 11th Streets and Market and Filbert Streets. The CBA is supposed to fund programs aimed at aiding neighborhoods impacted by the project, but it also includes money for citywide initiatives championed by Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, whose administration negotiated the original version.

Squilla’s $75.8 million pitch for the CBA would fall in between the team’s public commitment of $50 million and a $100 million alternative Johnson put on the table this week. The new proposal, which was sent out to other lawmakers from Johnson’s office Wednesday night, may represent Council leadership’s best pitch for a version that other members can get behind and that they hope the 76ers will eventually come around to.

It could also be an enticement to bring the 76ers back to the negotiating table over a deal that falls somewhere between $60 million and $75 million.

Either way, it’s a last-minute gambit. Under Council’s normal procedures, Thursday morning’s meeting of the Committee of the Whole, when Squilla plans to propose the amendment, is the last chance for Council to advance the project in time for it to be approved by the end of the year, as the 76ers have requested.