Artist’s rendering of the Kenosha casino project.
Governor Scott Walker is rejecting an offer from the Menominee Tribe to help fund a new arena for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Tribe last week proposed giving the state $220 million to help fund construction of a new arena. In a letter to the Menominee released on Monday, Walker questioned the seriousness of the proposal, along with the potential legal issues surrounding it. “It is important to note we have received no specific information related to the new bond. There was every opportunity to bring a formal proposal forward and have it vetted by our team of independent economists, which again was not done,” Walker wrote.
The governor also noted that the idea of helping to fund the Bucks arena never came up during 18 months of negations over the tribe’s proposed Kenosha casino project. He said “there was an opportunity to bring forward such a proposal and have it vetted by our team of independent economists, which was not done.”
Walker rejected the casino last month based on concerns about possible economic losses to the state if it were to be approved. The letter comes as tribal members are marching to Madison to try and meet with the governor about reconsidering that decision.