Current:Home > ScamsWisconsin governor signs off on $500 million plan to fund repairs and upgrades at Brewers stadium -PrimeFinance
Wisconsin governor signs off on $500 million plan to fund repairs and upgrades at Brewers stadium
View
Date:2025-04-18 13:34:36
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! (54828)
Related
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- Inflation slowed more than expected in June as gas prices fell, rent rose
- Georgia’s Fulton County approves plan for independent monitor team to oversee general election
- Shelley Duvall, star of 'The Shining' and 'Popeye,' dies at 75
- Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
- Remains of U.S. airman whose bomber was shot down in World War II identified 81 years later
- Bachelorette Fans Left “Screaming” After Spotting Creatures During Season 21 Premiere
- The 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid is definitely the one you want
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Previous bidder tries again with new offshore wind proposal in New Jersey
Ranking
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- U.K. to consider introducing stricter crossbow laws after murders of woman and 2 daughters near London
- Trump lawyers press judge to overturn hush money conviction after Supreme Court immunity ruling
- National French Fry Day 2024: Get free fries and deals at McDonald's, Wendy's, more
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- BBC Journalist’s Family Tragedy: Police Call Crossbow Murder a Targeted Attack
- Inflation slowed more than expected in June as gas prices fell, rent rose
- Ariana Grande Announces She's Taking a Step Back From All Things That Are Not Wicked
Recommendation
Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
Stock market today: World stocks mixed with volatile yen after Wall Street rises on inflation report
One Tech Tip: What to do if your personal info has been exposed in a data breach
Nick Wehry responds to cheating allegations at Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
Senator calls out Big Tech’s new approach to poaching talent, products from smaller AI startups
Summer House Star Paige DeSorbo Says This Deodorant Smells Like “Walking Into a Really Expensive Hotel”
AT&T 2022 security breach hits nearly all cellular customers and landline accounts with contact