If by "locked in a dispute" you mean asking for $145 million out of $187 million to spend on things the team - not the county - was obligated to pay for under the original agreement....then yes they were "locked in a dispute".
http://www.fieldofschemes.com/2016/04/14/10919/county-to-d-backs-most-of-187m-in-upgrade-demands-is-items-team-agreed-to-pay-for/
The team was holding the county hostage to pay for suite renovations and LED scoreboards. Good for the county for cutting bait. The whole business is shameful. Ken Kendrick paid $238 million for the team in 2004 and it's now worth $1.2 billion according to Forbes. God forbid you pay for your own giant TVs.
The mentality of billionaires requires thinking like this. Imagine amassing $500 million dollars and thinking "This isn't enough. I need to make more." It takes a special type of person to have that mentality. You can debate whether its admirable or pathologic, but I don't think you can turn it off.
