After about two hours of debate, the motion was defeated by a vote of 9 to 8

Halifax Regional Council has voted down a motion to back away from a CFL stadium in Shannon Park.

The motion put forward by Councillor Sam Austin called for staff to drop their detailed analysis of the plans submitted by Schooner Sport and Entertainment (SSE).

The motion needed the support of at least two-thirds of council, and after about two hours of debate, it was defeated by a vote of 9 to 8.

Councillor Lisa Blackburn voted no to Austin's proposal. She said that doesn't necessarily mean she's pro-stadium, it just means she wants to follow the proper process.

"We've got all kinds of information, it's the analysis we need," she said around the council table Tuesday. "What we have before us is a package of information with 5 options, and I agree, not a single one of them on its own is palatable as far I'm concerned, but what we need is our staff experts to break it down."

SSE's proposal for the $110-million stadium outlines funding options including the municipality making an up-front payment of 15 to 20 per cent of the cost. Another option would see annual loan payments of $2 million, with SSE paying $1 million and a ticket surcharge capped at $10 per ticket on all tickets sold for events.

Other options would see HRM making cash payments for 25 per cent of the project over a period of time, totalling about $25 million.

There is also a scenario where HRM would make annual cash payments not covered by the province or SSE.

Councillor Richard Zurawski was in favour of walking away.

"We should just turn this down, let them go back to the table and come up with something that's realistic," he said. "It's not our problem, it's their problem. They haven't done a very good job of giving us a proposal."

"It's in the wrong place, the tax thing doesn't work. We're getting a really bad deal."

With the motion defeated, the analysis the CFL stadium's business and funding plan will continue and Austin said he's wasn't too surprised.

"I knew there was a lot of unease around the room from some of my colleagues, but I also knew the bailing out of this before staff completed the analysis, especially needing two-thirds, was going to be a tall order," he said.

However, council did vote in favour of an alternative motion requiring staff to come back to council with a recommendation on financial options by December.