There were fans who made pleas in their Phoenix Coyotes sweaters for the team to stay in Glendale. There were representatives from the National Hockey League, which is trying to sell the team, and the Goldwater Institute, which is working to block the sale. There were even citizens that argued for public ownership of the franchise like with the Green Bay Packers.

Oh, and a guy who compared Glendale's steadfast desire to keep the money-losing Coyotes from leaving to raising skunks. He was there too.

They all had their say, and then the Glendale City Council did, as it approved another $25 million to cover the Coyotes' financial losses for the 2011-12 NHL season by a 5-2 vote on Tuesday night.

Another year in the desert, with extra time purchased to find a new owner. Another option for Winnipeg taken off the table, at least for the time being.

From the Phoenix Business Journal:

The city move could be challenged in court.  Glendale City Councilwoman Joyce Clark voted for the measure but also said she felt the city's $100 million bond deal to help Chicago investment executive Matthew Hulsizer was dead and would never happen.

The new $25 million allows the Coyotes to stay in Arizona another season and more time to work out a deal with an owner who will keep the team in Glendale. Hulsizer's camp has said they are still interested in buying the Coyotes but feel Glendale may be moving towards again trying to find a new buyer. There have been indications that Glendale and the NHL will make yet another run at trying to get Chicago Bulls and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf by the team.

The ownership issue was separate from the vote taken on Tuesday night, as supporters of the measure like Mayor Elaine Scruggs declared on multiple occasions that the $25 million wasn't a subsidy but rather part of a "management agreement" with the NHL to run Jobing.com Arena.

Here's some off-the-laptop video of two Coyotes fans a Goldwater lawyer at the meeting, to better get a sense of the proceedings:

Check out Howlin' Hockey for more on the deal.

Comments at the meeting was equal parts optimism, exasperation and anger. There was a sense that Coyotes could be saved. Yet there was also a sense this was delaying the inevitable. Will the team still be in Glendale in 2013?