Lawmakers approve spending plan for Brewers stadium with last-minute changes

 

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Lawmakers secured enough votes to pass a nearly half a billion-dollar proposal to maintain and upgrade American Family Field after last-minute changes were added.

The Senate voted 19-14 to approve the bill that spends more than $500 million in public funds to pay for things such as new boiler rooms, chillers, a scoreboard, and winterizing the ballpark for off-season events.

The proposal, crafted by Republicans, also passed Assembly 72-26. In the coming days, Gov. Tony Evers said he will sign the bill.

Revisions to the proposal include adjusting the make-up of the stadium district board and reducing the state's contribution by gradually increasing a ticket tax on non-Brewers events that Democrats say were necessary to gain their support. 

"Certainly I would have been happy if there were other provisions included in the proposal, but we crossed the finish line," Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard said. "We were clear about what we needed, we needed to make sure local governments had a voice at the table...and we were clear we wanted and needed to bring the state's contribution down."

The funding proposal now calls for the state to contribute $365.8 million. That amount was reduced through a ticket tax on non-Brewers events that would be raised incrementally throughout the team's lease.

That means a $2 fee on concerts and other events held at AmFam Field would increase beginning in 2033, along with a $8 surcharge on box or suite tickets.

From 2033-2041, a $3 fee would be added to non-Brewers events and from 2042-2050 that would increase to $4. Luxury box or suite tickets would be bumped to $9 in 2033 and $10 in 2042.

The nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimates the ticket tax would generate $20.7 million over the team's lease that would be extended to 2050.

Sen. Dan Feyen, a GOP author of the bill, said the more events held at the ballpark, the state's contribution will continue to go down.

"That's a variable based on how many events are there and we're hoping we have a lot of events because that generates interest and income for the state of Wisconsin," Feyen said. 

The city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County would pitch in a combined $135 million. Both would pay $67.5 million each year until the team's lease expires. 

To address some Democrats' concerns, the amendment added to the bill also restored Milwaukee's representation on the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District, a state-created agency that technically owns and operates the ballpark.

The original bill did not include that.

The revised proposal now allows the governor to pick two appointments that would be selected from a list provided by the city and county to serve on the board. Those appointments would not be subject to a confirmation vote by the Senate.

Under the bill, the Brewers would also pitch in $150 million to extend their lease from 2030 to 2050. That's $10 million more after the proposal was amended last week in hopes of winning over lawmakers who were hesitant to back the measure.

Still, some lawmakers argued that's not enough for a team that's valued around $1.6 billion, according to Forbes. 

"I do believe we needed more from the Brewers and less from those who don't even get the opportunity to participate in using the Brewers stadium," said Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee). 

The bill will also require a biennial audit of the stadium's finances, but some Democrats and Republicans who voted against the bill wanted that to occur before the proposal was approved.

Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) said the proposal was a "bad deal for taxpayers" and wished the deal could have been crafted like the Milwaukee Bucks bill that used a 50-50 split between private and taxpayer funds, along with a ticket tax to help construct Fiserv Forum. 

"This is not the last at bat for taxpayers and the Brewers," Larson said. "They are going to come back to us looking for billions to build a new stadium."

While not everyone loves the deal, supporters have warned the state could lose tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue if the Brewers would leave. 

The proposal also includes creating a taskforce to study possible development around the stadium as some lawmakers want to see some of the parking lots transformed into an entertainment district, similar to Milwaukee's Deer District and Title Town in Green Bay.