The Milwaukee Brewers are slated to get a nearly $300 million handout to refurbish the team’s retractable-roof ballpark in a new legislative proposal that seeks to tap into Wisconsin’s record-setting budget surplus.
(Bloomberg) — The Milwaukee Brewers are slated to get a nearly $300 million handout to refurbish the team’s retractable-roof ballpark in a new legislative proposal that seeks to tap into Wisconsin’s record-setting budget surplus.
The renovation plan for American Family Field was announced on Tuesday, a day before Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, is scheduled to unveil his full biennial budget to Wisconsin’s deeply polarized Senate and Assembly.
Instead of selling long-term bonds to fund the stadium renovations, Wisconsin would give the Brewers $290 million from the state’s $7 billion surplus. In exchange, the team would extend their lease at American Family Field through 2043, according to state officials. The Brewers’ current lease ends with the conclusion of the Major League Baseball’s 2030 season.
The governor, however, is already being rebuked by at least one Republican state legislator. Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos condemned Evers for failing to work with Republicans on drafting the proposal.
“When the Bucks had a similar situation, Democrats and Republicans worked together to find a solution on the best path forward,” Vos said in a Tweet on Tuesday. “Instead, Governor Evers drops this bomb in the budget, never mentioning or attempting to collaborate with the Legislature in any way.”
American Family Field has generated $2.5 billion in tax revenue to the state and created thousands of jobs since first opening in 2001, according to a 2020 study by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. The stadium was built using funds that were largely generated by a 0.1% sales tax imposed in Milwaukee County and the four other counties surrounding the complex.
“Using just a small portion of our state’s historic surplus, we can not only save over $200 million in taxpayer dollars in the long run, but keep good-paying, family-supporting jobs here and ensure the Brewers remain in Milwaukee and continue to play a critical role in our state’s economic success for another two decades,” Evers said in a statement.
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During his state of the state address in January, Evers slammed proposals percolating in the Republican-controlled state Legislature that would only benefit the wealthiest earners, calling the suggested tax-breaks “reckless.”
The proposed capital injection for Milwaukee’s MLB franchise still hinges on approval from Republicans on Wisconsin’s influential finance committee, who will then spend months revising the proposal before sending it to the full Senate and Assembly for approval.
The funds will be used to “maintain, repair, and improve the baseball park facilities at American Family Field to ensure the baseball district can meet its existing lease obligations and responsibilities to the Brewers,” according to a press release.
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