INDIANAPOLIS -- Marion County Democratic Chairman Ed Treacy on Wednesday laid down the gauntlet by challenging Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard to take the lead on the Capital Improvement Board funding crisis or step aside.

In a news conference, Treacy ripped Ballard for what he characterized as waffling on the bailout package presented by Sen. Luke Kenley.

He said Ballard sat with Kenley at his presentation but refused to endorse it and that the mayor was scared by some of the tax increases in the plan.

"Since taking office in January 2008, Mayor Ballard has repeatedly demonstrated that he lacks the type of leadership and vision needed to lead Indianapolis," Treacy said. "The mayor's inability to lead has become painfully obvious, as it appears he refuses to come out and to propose a plan to fix the CIB or even work to get someone else's plan passed."

Republican Chairman Tom John fired back Wednesday afternoon, claiming that it was Democrat Mayor Bart Peterson who negotiated the stadium deal and created the CIB deficit.

"We got here because Mayor Peterson, without talking to the Legislature, walked onto the field and told everybody that there was a stadium to be built and a deal with the Colts," John said. "What kind of deal was it with the Colts? Well, it's a deal that we can all question now."

Bob Grand, president of the CIB, said Friday that if a deal isn't reached on a $47 million bailout bill, it is possible Lucas Oil Stadium will close.

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved a bill that would raise several taxes, including those on alcohol statewide, restaurant meals and hotel stays in Marion County and tickets to sporting events in Indianapolis to bail out the organization that manages the city's professional sports facilities.

The measure faces a tough fight on the Senate floor from lawmakers from the edges of the state who feel they're being asked to bail out Indianapolis.

The largest part of the CIB's deficit comes from the higher-than-expected operating costs for Lucas Oil Stadium.

The previous board, appointed by then-Mayor Bart Peterson, didn't budget enough money, at least partly because it didn't know how much operating the new stadium would cost.

The CIB now estimates a total of $26 million in operating costs -- $10 million for salaries of stadium workers, $5 million for utilities, $5 million to the Colts and $6 million for other services, such as game-day setup.

The bailout bill would double the wholesale tax on beer, wine and spirits, raise local hotel and motel taxes from 9 to 10 percent, boost the food and beverage tax a quarter of a percent and increase the tax on stadium and Conseco Fieldhouse tickets from 6 to 10 percent.

The bill also assumes $5 million a year each in contributions from the Colts and Indiana Pacers, but the Colts have not committed to providing anything, saying the team will discuss what it might consider contributing.

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