In signing the contract to build a minor league baseball stadium last week, the Charles County commissioners agreed that the government will finance the team owner's share of the construction costs under the county's low-interest bonds.

The commissioners voted, 3 to 2, to adopt the new financing structure, under which the county assumes the team owner's debt of about $8.5 million and receives annual payments for 15 years from the company. The arrangement gives the owner — Maryland Baseball — access to lower-interest bonds than those available on the commercial market.

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Commissioners President Wayne Cooper (D-At Large) and Commissioners Vice President Edith J. Patterson (D-Pomfret) voted against the financing plan because they said assuming the team owner's debt over 15 years would be too risky.

Although Cooper said he supports the stadium, he said, "the financial risk would not be worth the financial gain."

Cooper said the county asked Maryland Baseball to provide copies of tax returns, independent audits or fiscal statements to verify the company's financial stability and long-term ability to make the bond payments. He said the company declined to provide such documentation.

"They would not do that," Cooper said. "I didn't feel like I had been supplied enough backup or enough collateral for a bond."