SIDELINES : Phoenix Voters Reject Stadium Tax

PHOENIX — Voters dealt a major-league setback Tuesday to what organizers said was the city’s only hope of landing a franchise when major league baseball expands.

A proposal to increase property taxes to raise up to $100 million in bonds to pay for construction of a baseball stadium was rejected by a margin of almost 3 to 2.

The City Council had pledged that the money would not be spent unless the city was guaranteed a team.

The mayor of nearby Tempe said he and others hope a “cooperative effort” will succeed where Phoenix has failed and produce a stadium good enough to attract a team.