Current:Home > ScamsWisconsin governor signs off on $500 million plan to fund repairs and upgrades at Brewers stadium -Golden Summit Finance
Wisconsin governor signs off on $500 million plan to fund repairs and upgrades at Brewers stadium
View
Date:2025-04-11 21:40:04
MILWAUKEE (AP) — After months of backroom wrangling, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill Tuesday that spends half-a-billion dollars in taxpayer money over the next three decades to help the Milwaukee Brewers repair their baseball stadium.
The governor signed the bipartisan package at American Family Field, calling the legislation a compromise agreement between the team and the public.
“All in all, this plan ensures the Milwaukee Brewers will continue to call this city home for nearly 30 more years,” Evers said before signing the legislation on a stage set up at home plate.
The Brewers say the 22-year-old stadium needs extensive renovation. The stadium’s glass outfield doors, seats and concourses need replacing, the stadium’s luxury suites and video scoreboard need upgrades and the stadium’s signature retractable roof, fire suppression systems, parking lots, elevators and escalators need work, according to the team.
Brewers officials warned lawmakers the team might leave Milwaukee without public assistance. Spurred by the threat of losing tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue, legislators began working on a subsidy package in September.
Debates over handing public dollars to professional sports teams are always divisive. The Brewers’ principal owner, Mark Attanasio, is worth an estimated $700 million, according to Yahoo Finance, and the team itself is valued at around $1.6 billion, according to Forbes.
Critics, including a number of Milwaukee-area legislators, insisted the Brewers deserved nothing and the state should spend its tax dollars on programs designed to help people.
The package went through multiple revisions as lawmakers worked to find ways to reduce the public subsidy. The bill Evers finally signed calls for a state contribution of $365.8 million doled out in annual payments through 2050. The city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County will contribute a combined $135 million.
The legislation also imposes surcharges on tickets to non-baseball events at the stadium such as rock concerts or monster truck rallies. The surcharges are expected to generate $20.7 million.
The Brewers, for their part, will spend $110 million and extend their lease at the stadium through 2050, keeping Major League Baseball in its smallest market for another 27 years.
The bill easily passed the Legislature last month, with the Assembly approving it on a 72-26 vote and the Senate following suit 19-14.
veryGood! (78223)
Related
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- Pakistan's 2024 election takes place amid deadly violence and allegations of electoral misconduct
- Rihanna, Adele, Ryan Reynolds and More Celebs Who Were Born in the Year of the Dragon
- Jury in Young Dolph murder trial will come from outside of Memphis, Tennessee, judge rules
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- 2 more women accuse Jonathan Majors of physical, emotional abuse in new report
- City drops charges against pastor as sides negotiate over Ohio church’s 24/7 ministry
- At Texas border rally, fresh signs the Jan. 6 prosecutions left some participants unbowed
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- Two states' top election officials talk about threats arising from election denialism — on The Takeout
Ranking
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Is Kyle Richards Finally Leaving RHOBH Amid Her Marriage Troubles? She Says...
- A stepmother says her husband killed his 5-year-old and hid her body. His lawyers say she’s lying
- 'That level of violence is terrifying': Mexican cartel targets tranquil Puget Sound city
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Flu hangs on in US, fading in some areas and intensifying in others
- Sales of Tracy Chapman's Fast Car soar 38,400% after Grammys performance
- Harris slams ‘politically motivated’ report as Biden to name task force to protect classified docs
Recommendation
South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
Climate change turns an idyllic California community into a 'perilous paradise'
Taylor Swift's Eras Tour estimated to boost Japanese economy by $228 million
Texas A&M to close Qatar campus as school’s board notes instability in Middle East as factor
Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
Super Bowl 2024: Time, channel, halftime show, how to watch Chiefs vs. 49ers livestream
Super Bowl 2024: Time, channel, halftime show, how to watch Chiefs vs. 49ers livestream
Meta announces changes for how AI images will display on Facebook, Instagram