By Shawn Johnson | Wisconsin Public Radio
The state Senate has passed a deal that would spend more than a half-billion dollars in public funding on the Milwaukee Brewers’ stadium, a move that aims to keep the team in Wisconsin until at least 2050.
Senators approved the deal on a 19-14 vote, with eight Democrats joining 11 Republicans to support the plan. The bipartisan coalition was significant because without Democratic support, the plan would have failed.
Backers said the deal would ensure that a Wisconsin institution remains in the state with a limited cost to taxpayers, arguing that ongoing revenue from the Brewers made the agreement an easy call.
“This is a good deal for baseball fans, a good deal for taxpayers and a good deal for the state of Wisconsin,” said Sen. Dan Feyen, R-Fond du Lac.
But critics, like Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, said threats that the Brewers might leave without a deal amounted to a “trick” being played on communities around the country by Major League Baseball.
“The Brewers have decided that they need additional cash, and we are falling for that,” Larson said.
GOP senators amended the plan Tuesday as they worked to secure a combination of Republican and Democratic votes, spelling out details for a new ticket surcharge to offset the state’s contribution and expanding a newly created stadium district board.
The ticket surcharge, which would cover non-Brewers events like concerts, would start at $2 in 2024 and step its way up to $4 by 2042 for most tickets. For luxury boxes, the surcharge would start at $8 and work its way up to $10 by 2042.
The stadium district board would be increased to 13 members, up from nine in a previous version of the bill. Seven of those members — a majority — would be appointed by the governor and not subject to confirmation by the state Senate.
The state would spend about $387 million under the deal according to the latest summary by the Legislature’s nonpartisan budget office. That contribution could go down to $366 million depending on how much is generated by the new ticket surcharge.
The city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County would pay a combined $135 million under the Senate plan. The team’s contribution would be about $110 million.
Rick Schlesinger, the president of business operations for the Milwaukee Brewers, praised the Senate’s action in a written statement.
“This vote by a bipartisan majority of the State Senate is a historic moment, not only allowing the Stadium District to meet its obligations to maintain the ballpark but paving the way for the Brewers to remain in Wisconsin for the next generation,” Schlesinger said.
While a similar version of the bill already passed the Assembly last month, lawmakers there would have to agree to the Senate’s changes before the bill gets sent to Gov. Tony Evers’ desk. Evers, who offered up his own version of a Brewers deal earlier this year, has signaled support for recent versions of the plan.
Editor’s note: This story will be updated.
This story was produced by Wisconsin Public Radio and is being republished by permission. See the original story here.
