Wisconsin Right Now

“The Brewers’ stadium action today in a Senate committee provides the clearest proof yet that the uniparty system that has corrupted Washington D.C. is now decaying the halls of the Wisconsin Capitol.” -Sen. Steve Nass The plan to spend taxpayer dollars on the Milwaukee Brewers’ ballpark may still be short of votes at the Wisconsin Capitol. A number of Republican senators on Wednesday criticized the latest version of the plan. "While the amendment makes some improvements to the bill, it does not meet the expectations of my constituents. The Brewers' contribution falls short of their equity stake, and the burden on taxpayers is too high for me to support it,” Sen Julian Bradley, R-Franklin, said after a hearing on the proposal. The improvement Bradley noted includes a new $2 non-Brewer game ticket tax that is expected to raise up to $500,000 a year and lower Wisconsin’s contributions to $377 million over the life of the deal. Originally, the state was expected to kic...

The plan to spend $500 million in taxpayer money on the Milwaukee Brewers’ stadium may look different once it gets through the Wisconsin Senate. A Senate panel held a hearing on the stadium funding proposal Wednesday and immediately hit supporters with questions. “It would seem to be rushed,” Sen Julian Bradley, R-Franklin, said at Wednesday’s hearing. “It was intentionally half-baked. And it was just dropped. I don’t think any of us planned to take this up this session.” Bradley said he wants the Brewers to stay in Milwaukee, but he wants to get “the right deal” to make it happen. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said before the hearing that there are not enough Republican votes to get the ballpark package through the Senate. “I think, ultimately, people are looking for maybe a little larger contribution from the Brewers and a little less contribution from the state,” LeMahieu said. “I know that the avenue that some of the members have looked for is a ticket tax.” S...

The Wisconsin Senate has scheduled a vote on the stadium package for Wednesday. The plan to spend $500 million in taxpayer money on the Milwaukee Brewers’ stadium is heading for its next vote, despite not being a done deal. Brewer President of Business Operations Rick Schlessinger said there is talk of a ticket tax as part of the final deal, but nothing is certain, yet. “While there have been ongoing discussions on a ticket tax tied to concerts and other non-baseball events hosted at the ballpark, we’ve yet to see a formalized proposal on what that could look like from the legislature,” Schlesinger told The Center Square. “The devil is always in the details, and as bipartisan momentum for a deal continues to grow in the legislature, we’ll continue to work with stakeholders on both sides of the aisle to review any and all proposals.” The Wisconsin Senate has scheduled a vote on the stadium package for Wednesday. One thing is almost certain, however. Schlesinger said the Bre...

The plan to spend more than $500 million in taxpayer money on the Milwaukee Brewers’ stadium is headed for a vote next week, even though there continues to be opposition at the Wisconsin Capitol. An assembly panel approved the framework for the public funding of American Family Field. The latest plan has a lower price tag. Milwaukee and Milwaukee County will now have to pay $67 million over the next 27 years, as opposed to the $200 million that was originally proposed. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said that's a price tag he can afford. “The Milwaukee Brewers are an important asset for our community. That’s why I’m pleased to see the progress that has been reached thus far to keep the organization in Wisconsin,” Crowley said in a statement. “While we’ve secured a positive agreement in the Wisconsin State Assembly, I now look ahead to engaging with members of the state senate on a path forward. My main priority has not changed: to deliver a bipartisan solution tha...