Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly have proposed a $614-million plan to keep the Brewers in Milwaukee and upgrade American Family Field. The new plan would raise income taxes on MLB Players and staff, including the Brewers.
“Unfortunately, the amount of money that was generated and has been spent so far, doesn’t even allow the team to remain in Wisconsin unless something is done as quickly as possible,” said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester).
— Robin Vos (@repvos) September 18, 2023
Under the plan, the Brewers will chip in for repairs to American Family Field, including winterizing the park for use year round. “We’ve asked the Brewers to step up and they have the Brewers are going to contribute an additional 100 million dollars over the term of the contract. And that is in addition to their current rent and other capital investments,” said Representative Robert Brooks (R-Saukville).
The plan also requires investments from Milwaukee city and county.
The plan unveiled Monday was greeted cautiously by Democrats. In a statement, a spokesperson for Governor Tony Evers said it’s unfortunate Republicans rejected a proposal Evers’ made earlier this year, to spend $290 million in state money to fund Brewers ballpark renovations. Evers looks forward to reviewing the Republican proposal and continuing conversations.
Assembly Democratic Leader Greta Neubauer of Racine and Assistant Leader Kalan Haywood of Milwaukee said the Republican proposal falls short of recognizing the regional benefit of AmFam Field and places too great of a financial burden on the city and county of Milwaukee.