Wisconsin hearing considers $614M plan to fund Milwaukee Brewers stadium repairs

abcnews.go.com:

The architect of legislation to give the Milwaukee Brewers more than $614 million to cover repairs at American Family Field is defending the proposal to fellow lawmakers

MADISON, Wis. — The chief architect of a plan to hand the Milwaukee Brewers more than $614 million to cover stadium improvements defended his proposal Thursday in front of a legislative committee, promising the deal will keep the team in Milwaukee for another generation without new taxes.

Republican state Rep. Rob Brooks has developed a pair of bills that call for handing public dollars from the state, the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County to the team. He argued for the bills at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis during a public hearing organized by the state Assembly.

The team's fans are reeling after the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Brewers 5-2 on Wednesday night, eliminating them from the playoffs. Brooks began his presentation by joking that he doesn't blame the committee for the loss.

He spent the next hour and a half promoting the proposal but cautioning that it was still a work in progress.

He stressed that the package creates no new taxes, instead using income taxes on players' salaries as a funding stream. He warned that if the Brewers were to leave Wisconsin the state, the city and the county would lose tens of millions of dollars in income and sales taxes. That revenue loss could translate to dips in state aid to municipalities across the state.

Public funding for professional sports facilities is hotly debated across the country. The team’s principal owner, Mark Attanasio, has an estimated net worth of $700 million, according to Yahoo Finance. The team itself is valued at around $1.6 billion, according to Forbes. Still, the