Evers signs $500M Brewers stadium repair plan (UPDATED)

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Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday signed the $500 million bipartisan legislation to repair American Family Field and extend the lease for the Milwaukee Brewers through 2050.

“This issue was one that took tremendous amount of hard work and compromise to find a solution,” Evers said at a news conference. “Losing this team would have had a ripple effect affecting families and communities across the state,” he added.

In a statement, the governor emphasized the importance of keeping the Brewers and their multi-billion-dollar economic output in the state. The legislative package was supported by both aisles of the Legislature and construction and vendor unions.

The state of Wisconsin will contribute $365.8 million over 27 years under Assembly Bill 438 and Assembly Bill 439. After amendments by the state senate, Milwaukee County and the city will pay a combined $135 million.

The Brewers will make annual contributions of $3.3 million from 2024 to 2045 for stadium improvements and operating costs to the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District, according to the governor’s office. The contribution will increase to $5.3 million from 2046 to 2050, officials added.

The team will also pay an annual $2.5 million to a stadium improvement fund and a ticket tax, which is expected to contribute $20.7 million to the district over the course of the lease, the governor’s office noted. In all, the governor’s office said the Brewers will contribute $141 million.

The Brewers cited aging conditions and disrepair at the stadium, which was first built in 2001. In September, Republican lawmakers introduced plans to use $25 million to “winterize” the stadium for year-round events alongside their repair bills.

Governor signs deal to avoid chance of Milwaukee Brewers leaving

Without an investment from the state, the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District would not have the resources to meet contractual and legal obligations to update American Family Field and risk Wisconsin losing the Brewers, the governor’s office said in a statement. The District is in charge of overseeing, operating and maintaining the baseball park. Before the bills passed, the Brewers’ lease was set to end in 2030.

Under AB 438, the Brewers will be held under a nonrelocation agreement and will have to play all of its home games at American Family Field. The lease agreement under the law wouldn’t expire earlier than Dec. 31, 2050.

The legislative package passed through bipartisan votes in the Assembly and Senate, but not without debate and criticism over the use of public dollars to support a private sports team. The Associated Press reported Brewers’ principal owner Mark Attanasio is worth around $700 million, according to Yahoo Finance. The team is valued at around $1.6 billion, AP reported citing Forbes.

According to AP, Brewers officials said they might leave Milwaukee if they don’t get public dollars for repairs. However team leadership softened its stance last month, AP reported.

Attanasio on Tuesday said at a news conference the team will remain for the next generation.

Milwaukee officials, including County Executive David Crowley and Mayor Cavalier Johnson, have expressed support for the deal and stressed the importance of keeping the Brewers in Milwaukee.

The state senate previously approved amendments to strengthen Milwaukee County and the city’s representation for the southeast baseball park district. Previously, the District had jurisdiction over Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties. Under AB 438, the District would only have jurisdiction over Milwaukee County.

The new law will change the makeup of the district board as well. The current 13-member board will be replaced with 13 new members. Here’s how the board will break down.

• Four people appointed by the governor, including a chairperson
• Three people appointed by the speaker of the Assembly
• Three people appointed by the majority leader of the Senate
• One person appointed by the governor from a list provided by the team
• Two people appointed by the governor from lists provided by the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County

In February, Evers introduced a $290 million plan to repair and improve the baseball park. However, the plan did not reach fruition.

The stadium first opened as Miller Park in 2001. The ballpark generated $2.5 billion in total economic output for Wisconsin since it opened, according to the governor’s office. In 2022, the ballpark supported 3,000 jobs and supports more than 1,1000 union jobs, the governor’s office added.