Assembly passes Bucks Arena Deal

By: CBS58 Staff

Posted: Jul 28, 2015 2:54 PM CST | Updated: Jul 28, 2015 3:00 PM CST

The state Assembly today gave final legislative approval to a public funding package for a new downtown Milwaukee sports and entertainment arena. The arena proposal passed on a bi-partisan vote of 52-34.

\"Today’s vote is a great example of individuals from every corner of Wisconsin putting aside regional and political differences and working together for the benefit of the entire state,” said Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) President Tim Sheehy. “I want to especially commend Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) for their leadership in making today a great bi-partisan step forward toward making Wisconsin a more attractive place to create jobs.”

The state Senate approved the project two weeks ago.

The package splits the public cost between the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Center District and the state of Wisconsin. An additional $250 million for the project will be provided by the current and former owners of the Milwaukee Bucks.

The project now moves to the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County elected leaders for final approval.

The Milwaukee Bucks released the following statement from President Peter Feigin on the Wisconsin State Assembly arena financing vote

“Today, our collective effort to create a world-class sports and entertainment district in the heart of Milwaukee took a monumental step forward thanks to the bipartisan leadership of elected officials in Madison. We’re incredibly grateful for the commitment of state, county and city officials to work together in a historic fashion to help shape this public-private partnership. There’s still work to be done and we look forward to building on this progress with the city and county, but the passage of legislation today makes our future much clearer. The Bucks will not only remain home in Wisconsin, but we’ll soon begin a transformative economic development project that will help revitalize our community and region.”

Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) released the following statement after the Wisconsin State Assembly gave final legislative approval to Senate Bill 209, the Bucks arena plan.

\"The passage of the arena deal shows that legislators can come together to make the right decisions for the state of Wisconsin.\"