The city has proposed that the school district consider covering about $9 million of the costs.

One of the ways to do so  is for the city and school district to enter into an interlocal agreement.

“Interlocal agreements have been the vehicle of choice to deal with cities and districts in partnerships,” Haase said.

But because of recent changes to levy lids and skepticism expressed by state auditor Mike Foley, Haase said interlocal agreements can sometimes cause a district problems.

Haase said Foley has raised concerns about such agreements because there have been allegations of using them in order to avoid public accountability.

Another possible problem with an interlocal agreement is that the Nebraska Supreme Court has ruled that once parties are in such an agreement, the ability to bring lawsuits against each other has been lost.

“We’re not as enthused about interlocal agreements as we once were,” Haase said.

While Haase made it clear she was not making a recommendation, she did say that she would be most comfortable with the district leasing Memorial Field from the city instead of co-owning it.