The lawsuit claims that the petition signatures submitted to force the cote were not properly certified. The City also will argue that a special state law precludes the city from referring the project to a public vote.

The day prior to the hearing, the City Council is scheduled to approve a bond sale for the project. It's now unclear whether the Council will proceed with the vote.

Meantime, next week, the Public Facilities District Board of Vancouver and the Downtown Redevelopment Authority are scheduled to hold a joint meeting next week on the special events center's revised design. The meeting will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 18, in the Water Resources Education Center, 4600 S.E. Columbia Way.