We are just getting word that D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams is now requesting that the long-awaited vote on the stadium lease — originally scheduled for tomorrow — be postponed so “small technical changes” can be made to the agreement. In a brief press release, Williams noted:

We continue to work aggressively to get assistance from the federal government, from private developers and from Major League Baseball to put together the best deal possible for the city. There is no doubt in my mind that bringing back baseball has been and will continue to be a huge economic boost for our city. An investment in baseball and a new stadium is an investment in our city’s future and in our children’s futures.

Many members of the council have remained skeptical of a stadium whose costs had risen to $667 million, far above the $535 million price-cap imposed late last year. While no one account is certain, news today had it that only five members of the council — Cropp, Vincent Orange, Sharon Ambrose, Jack Evans, and Kathy Patterson — would vote for the stadium lease, with seven opposing and one undecided. Williams may have asked for the postponement to round-up necessary votes, which may involve having the federal government or private developers agree to pay for needed infrastructure improvements or otherwise help lessen the financing burden on the city.