Breaking news from the Milwaukee Common Council downtown as the Milwaukee sports and entertainment arena financing for the city has been approved by a vote of 12-3 this morning. The Council approved the $47 million financing plan for the city.
This means that all levels of financing have been approved by the state, county, and city levels! A few political issues could still come up, but with all financing approved, the arena is set to start construction in November with action being made as soon as October. The arena is expected to be ready in time for the 2017 season, although some believe it won’t be ready until 2018.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ President Peter Feign released the following statement on the passage of the arena financing proposal:
“Today is a truly historic day for Milwaukee and Wisconsin, and the culmination of months of hard work from an incredible coalition passionate about our community’s future. Thanks to the support of Sen. Kohl, Mayor Barrett and the Common Council, and other elected officials in both Milwaukee and Madison, this transformative public-private partnership is now a reality. Now it’s time to get to work creating jobs and building a better Milwaukee – not just for the Bucks, but for all citizens of this great state.”
The Milwaukee Bucks ownership also released this statement later in the afternoon:
Bucks Fans,
Today marked a tremendous milestone in our endeavor to build a world-class sports and entertainment district in Milwaukee, as the city’s Common Council voted overwhelming in support of this public-private partnership. With financing approval in place, the real work begins. Very soon we’ll be able to get shovels in the ground and get to work transforming this city. We couldn’t be more excited.
As we’ve said from the very beginning, our vision has been much bigger than just building a new arena. We want to build a better Milwaukee. Thanks to the support of Senator Kohl, the leadership of elected officials in Madison and Milwaukee, and the thunderous support of members of the community and Bucks fans like you, we’re going to make that vision a reality. We’re going to create jobs, we’re going to create an amazing urban community to help revitalize and connect the city, and we’re going to keep the Bucks home in Wisconsin.
As we gear up for the start of another season, we couldn’t be more excited about the direction this team is headed on and off the court. We want to see you all there when we break ground on our new building in November, and we can’t wait to see a packed arena for Opening night just five weeks from now.
Go Bucks!
Marc, Wes and Jamie
Echoing those letters, thank you to Paul Henning, Ted Davis, SaveOurBucks.com, Senator Herb Kohl, the Milwaukee Bucks, and more for their efforts to getting this arena 100% approved!
Now, let’s play some basketball.
Suggested read from Rich Kirchen on today’s historical day.
UPDATE October 27, 2015: The Bucks have confirmed that the arena will not open until the 2018-19 season, as detailed by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
As negotiations continue among the Milwaukee Common Council, a few things have surfaced regarding the building of the Milwaukee downtown arena.
Originally, the Bucks were planning to break ground this fall and have the arena ready for the 2017-18 season. Due to “everything we have to get done,” said Bucks co-owner Michael Fascitelli (pictured above) at The Pfizer Hotel for the Milwaukee Business Journal’s Downtown Milwaukee Renaissance luncheon, “the reality is we’re going to get it in for the ’18 (through spring 2019) season.” Hence, the Bucks will start construction this spring, and hope to have the arena ready by October of 2018, meaning the Bucks will play three more full seasons at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Of course, the concern about that is whether the NBA will give the Bucks an extension after proclaiming that the team needed a new arena by 2017. But, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has affirmed that the deadline could be extended as long as a project is under way, and nobody should worry about the 2017 affecting the project.
In other news surrounding the proposal, the Common Council has voted to make amendments to the arena bill, highlighted in the Milwaukee Business Journal. First, they want to reject “the city’s plan to vacate North Fourth Street between West Highland and West Juneau avenues,” as the Bucks were looking to build a “live block” or plaza area around the arena. The Council has concerns surrounding traffic flow, but could give the Bucks permission on game-days (nights) to block off the traffic on those streets. The other amendment is about the Bucks having naming rights for the new city-owned parking structure on the north of the new arena. The city does not believe the Bucks should get those rights, and are looking for a sponsor to pay for them as they do not believe the Bucks should receive naming rights revenues.
Source: Milwaukee Business Journal Image:Bloomberg
On Monday, August 31 at 4 PM, the Milwaukee Common Council will start a series of meetings and a public hearing with a fiscal analysis of the proposed Bucks bill put on by the Office of the Comptroller. The meeting will take place in Room 301-B of City Hall, 200 E. Wells St. The Common Council will vote on September 22 on the bill. Milwaukee Bucks’ President Peter Feign has said that he would like to start construction in October in time for the 2017 NBA season.
The Milwaukee County Council approval is not required despite Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele’s desire to have the county’s contribution come from delinquent debt collection by the state.
(Milwaukee Business Journal)
Once again, here’s a breakdown of the public money in the deal:
The Milwaukee Common Council wants to hear from citizens, so please call them and/or attend the meeting on Monday regarding your opinion of the proposal.
Numbers and information from own research, Milwaukee Business Journal, and Save Our Bucks. Featured image from community journal.net.
Editor’s Note: We, the writers of Sconnie Sports Talk, are elated to hear the Bucks are only a few steps away from officially staying in Milwaukee. This op-ed’s goal is to talk about the politics of Scott Walker, and we are by no way aiming to take away from the wonderful success of the Milwaukee Bucks building a new stadium in order to stay. Again, we couldn’t be happier about the Bucks arena developments in terms of keeping the team. Thank you for reading.
Today’s flip-flopping case study is Scott Walker, presidential candidate and Governor of Wisconsin. Between Walker and fellow flip-flopper DeAndre Jordan, these two men have rocked the NBA’s offseason by backtracking on their initial plans.
Within the next few minutes, you will learn the secret to successful flip-flopping by understanding how Scott Walker is DeAndre Jordan.
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Both public figures dropped out of college and became incredibly successful, yet each is terrible at shooting free throws. Each of these men immediately impacted their NBA teams and brought them one step closer to ensuring a successful future for their franchise. The summer of flip-flopping began with DeAndre’s decision to return to Los Angeles after verbally committing to Dallas, and ends today with Governor Walker’s decision to sign the Bucks’ arena bill.Read More »
Senate Bill 209, the Milwaukee sports and entertainment arena bill, has now passed in the State Senate and in the State Assembly. Today, Governor Scott Walker signed the bill at the Wisconsin State Fair. State legislators, Bucks executives, and others were present for the pen marathon.
Walker continued to voice his support for the bill Wednesday morning, as he signed the bill as is without any vetoes. His main argument continued to be on the income tax revenue the state will receive from keeping the team, as it requires about $4 million state funding per year that will turn into a $2.5 million investment for the state just from NBA income tax revenue. He believes that it’s “cheaper to keep the team,” and the state will receive $3 for every $1 spent. Additionally, Walker explained that he appreciated the bipartisanship that went into the deal, thanking Democratic leaders Peter Barca and Jennifer Schilling in particular for their support for the bill.
Bucks’ President Peter Feigin, who was in attendance, also added this on behalf of the Milwaukee Bucks organization:
“Today’s signing is the culmination of an extraordinary effort from a broad coalition to not only keep the Bucks in Wisconsin, but revitalize Milwaukee. The entire Bucks family is thankful for the leadership and bipartisan support of Governor Walker, state legislators, local officials, countless organizations and the community. We will continue to work with the city and county to move this public-private partnership forward as swiftly as possible and make this world-class sports and entertainment district a reality.”
Now, the last stop will be the Milwaukee City Common Council, which will meet in a series of meeting starting August 31. Many are speculating that Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Milwaukee Common Council President Alderman Michael Murphy will try to push for a small change to the ticket surcharge. Both Milwaukee leaders want the surcharge money to go 100% to the Wisconsin Center District (WCD) instead of 75% to the WCD and 25% to the state.
Milwaukee County is still determining how it will pay for the $4 million per year that was stripped from the original arena bill. The Bucks hope to start building the arena by November of this year to have it finished by November of 2017.
Images for featured image from MBJ and Milwaukee Bucks.
At approximately 12:45 PM today, the Wisconsin State Assembly passed the Milwaukee sports and entertainment arena deal in its current form. The final vote was 52 to 34, with 35 Republicans and 17 Democrats voting in favor of the bill. Due to the timing of the extraordinary vote, some representatives were not there.
Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly Robin Vos (Republican) and Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (Democrat) both spoke (together) at a press conference before the vote, a rare sight for Wisconsin politics. The picture of them together at the podium was a symbol of the bipartisanship and cooperation between both parties to reach a solution for the Bucks and Milwaukee. “Today is the day the Assembly is going to pass Bucks arena plan,” Vos said at the press conference before the vote. Jason Kidd was also in attendance posing with legislators for pictures before the voting began.
Bucks President Peter Feigin made a statement soon after the vote.
“Today, our collective effort to create a world-class sports and entertainment district in the heart of Milwaukee took a monumental step forward thanks to the bipartisan leadership of elected officials in Madison. We’re incredibly grateful for the commitment of state, county and city officials to work together in a historic fashion to help shape this public-private partnership. There’s still work to be done and we look forward to building on this progress with the city and county, but the passage of legislation today makes our future much clearer. The Bucks will not only remain home in Wisconsin, but we’ll soon begin a transformative economic development project that will help revitalize our community and region.”
There were reports last night that the Assembly leaders were confident the bill would pass, but it is refreshing to see the report be official. Moving forward, the bill will now go to Governor Scott Walker’s desk to be signed before heading to the Milwaukee City Council for final approval in September. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett will address the media at 3 PM today about the Bucks arena financing in relation to the City Council and its status moving forward. The Bucks and government officials have stated that they must start the project by October of this year.
You can find several statements from Wisconsin legislators about their vote here.
Updated Monday, July 27: 8:30 PM – The Wisconsin State Assembly will vote on the Milwaukee sports and entertainment arena bill tomorrow some time after meeting at 11 AM. Republican Majority Leader Jim Steineke told reporters this afternoon that he expects the bill to pass with at least 30 Republicans and 15 Democrats voting in favor of the proposal. These votes will be enough as 12 representatives are expected to be absent from the vote, making the majority less than the usual 50 (reportedly will be 44 now). Check our Twitter account @SconSportsTalk for the latest.
With the State Assembly reportedly voting on this Tuesday, July 28, here’s a review of the budget proposal and what you can do to help get this bill through the Assembly onto Governor Scott Walker’s desk!
“It’s the fourth quarter right now and that makes everything a little tough.”
~ Rep. Mandela Barnes (Democrat-Milwaukee)
With the State Senate passing the modified bill 21-10 on Wednesday, July 15, the Assembly leaders announced that the Assembly would meet on the 28th to vote on the bill. The only changes to the original proposal was the addition of a $2 ticket surcharge (75% goes to Wisconsin Center District and 25% goes to the State of Wisconsin) and the elimination of the state debt relief for Milwaukee County.
There are 99 members of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and Republican leaders have indicated that they will need 12 or more Democrats to vote in favor of the proposal in order to pass it in the Assembly. According to reports, Democratic leaders are writing amendments to prepare for Tuesday. Some suggest the amendments will include plans for debt relief restructure for Milwaukee County. If an amendment passes, the bill would have to go back to the Senate for another vote, as the proposal must be passed exactly as written in the Senate, Assembly, Governor Walker’s desk, and Milwaukee City Council to become legislation.
Regardless, there seems to be some uncertainty if the bill will get enough Democrat votes, but the confidence level must be high considering a vote was scheduled so quickly and so soon after the bill passed in the Senate.
Click here to read Rep. Thomas Weatherston’s piece on why the Bucks arena bill is way different and better than Miller Park.
At this point, similar to the Senate situation, the only thing us constituents can do is contact representatives via phone, email, letters, Twitter, etc. To find your local legislator, use http://legis.wisconsin.gov/ if you are not sure.
Here are the names and phone numbers of all 99 representatives (thanks to SaveOurBucks.com):
Milwaukee Metropolitan Area
Scott Allen (R-Waukesha, District 97) — 608-266-8580
Mandela Barnes (D-Milwaukee, District 11) — 608-266-3756
David Bowen (D-Milwaukee, District 10) — 608-266-7671
Janel Brandtjen (R-Menomonee Falls, District 22) — 608-267-2367
Robert Brooks (R-Saukville, District 60) — 608-267-2369
Jonathan Brostoff (D-Milwaukee, District 19) — 608-266-0650
David Craig (R-Big Bend, District 83) — 608-266-3363
Bob Gannon (R-Slinger, District 58) — 608-264-8486
Evan Goyke (D-Milwaukee, District 18) — 608-266-0645
Cody Horlacher (R-Mukwonago, District 33) — 608-266-5715
Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield, District 13) — 608-267-9836
LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee, District 17) — 608-266-5580
Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield, District 99) — 608-266-3007
Frederick Kessler (D-Milwaukee, District 12) — 608-266-5813
Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc, District 38) — 608-266-8551
Daniel Knodl (R-Germantown, District 24) — 608-266-3796
Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield, District 14) — 608-266-9180
Mike Kuglitsch (R-New Berlin, District 84) — 608-267-5158
Adam Neylon (R-Pewaukee, District 98) — 608-266-5120
Jim Ott (R-Mequon, District 23) — 608-266-0486
Daniel Riemer (D-Milwaukee, District 7) — 608-266-1733
Jessie Rodriguez (R-Franklin, District 21) — 608-266-0610
Joe Sanfelippo (R-West Allis, District 15) — 608-266-0620
Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee, District 20) — 608-266-8588
Ken Skowronski (R-Franklin, District 82) — 608-266-8590
Leon Young (D-Milwaukee, District 16) — 608-266-3786
JoCasta Zamarripa (D-Milwaukee, District 8) — 608-267-7669
Josh Zepnick (D-Milwaukee, District 9) — 608-266-1707
Southeast Wisconsin
Tyler August (R-Lake Geneva, District 32) — 608-266-1190
Peter Barca (D-Kenosha, District 64) — 608-266-5504
Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam, District 39) — 608-266-2540
John Jagler (R-Watertown, District 37) — 608-266-9650
Terry Katsma (R-Oostburg, District 26) — 608-266-0656
Samantha Kerkman (R-Salem, District 61) — 608-266-2350
Jesse Kremer (R-Kewaskum, District 59) — 608-266-9175
Cory Mason (D-Racine, District 66) — 608-266-0634
Tod Ohnstad (D-Kenosha, District 65) — 608-266-0455
Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac, District 52) — 608-266-3156
Tyler Vorpagel (R-Plymouth, District 27) — 608-266-8530
Robin Vos (R-Rochester, District 63) — 608-266-9171
Thomas Weatherston (R-Caledonia, District 62) — 608-266-0731
Madison Metropolitan Area
Terese Berceau (D-Madison, District 77) — 608-266-3784
Gary Hebl (D-Sun Prairie, District 46) — 608-266-7678
Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton, District 79) — 608-266-5340
Robb Kahl (D-Monona, District 47) — 608-266-8570
Sondy Pope (D-Cross Plains, District 80) — 608-266-3520
Melissa Sargent (D-Madison, District 48) — 608-266-0960
Lisa Subeck (D-Madison, District 78) — 608-266-7521
Chris Taylor (D-Madison, District 76) — 608-266-5342
Southwest/South Central Wisconsin
Jill Billings (D-La Crosse, District 95) — 608-266-5780
Edward Brooks (R-Reedsburg, District 50) — 608-266-8531
Dave Considine (D-Baraboo, District 81) — 608-266-7746
Steve Doyle (D-Onalaska, District 94) — 608-266-0631
Andy Jorgensen (D-Milton, District 43) — 608-266-3790
Debra Kolste (D-Janesville, District 44) — 608-266-7503
Amy Loudenbeck (R-Clinton, District 31) — 608-266-9967
Lee Nerison (R-Westby, District 96) — 608-266-3534
Todd Novak (R-Dodgeville, District 51) — 608-266-7502
Keith Ripp (R-Lodi, District 42) — 608-266-3404
Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit, District 45) — 608-266-1192
Travis Tranel (R-Cuba City, District 49) — 608-266-1170
Nancy VanderMeer (R-Tomah, District 70) — 608-266-8366
Northwest/North Central Wisconsin
Kathleen Bernier (R-Chippewa Falls, District 68) — 608-266-9172
Mary Czaja (R-Irma, District 35) — 608-266-7694
Chris Danou (D-Trempealeau, District 92) — 608-266-7015
James Edming (R-Glen Flora, District 87) — 608-266-7506
Adam Jarchow (R-Balsam Lake, District 28) — 608-267-2365
Dean Knudson (R-Hudson, District 30) — 608-266-1526
Thomas Larson (R-Colfax, District 67) — 608-266-1194
Beth Meyers (D-Bayfield, District 74) — 608-266-7690
Nick Milroy (D-South Range, District 73) — 608-266-0640
John Murtha (R-Baldwin, District 29) — 608-266-7683
Warren Petryk (R-Eleva, District 93) — 608-266-0660
Romaine Quinn (R-Rice Lake, District 75) — 608-266-2519
Rob Swearingen (R-Rhinelander, District 34) — 608-266-7141
Dana Wachs (D-Eau Claire, District 91) — 608-266-7461
Northeast Wisconsin
Eric Genrich (D-Green Bay, District 90) — 608-266-0616
Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh, District 54) — 608-266-2254
Andre Jacque (R-De Pere, District 2) — 608-266-9870
Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay, District 1) — 608-266-5350
John Macco (R-Ledgeview, District 88) — 608-266-0485
David Murphy (R-Greenville, District 56) — 608-266-7500
Jeffrey Mursau (R-Crivitz, District 36) — 608-266-3780
John Nygren (R-Marinette, District 89) — 608-266-2343
Alvin Ott (R-Forest Junction, District 3) — 608-266-5831
Mike Rohrkaste (R-Neenah, District 55) — 608-266-5719
Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh, District 53) — 608-267-7990
David Steffen (R-Green Bay, District 4) — 608-266-5840
Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna, District 5) — 608-266-2418
Amanda Stuck (D-Appleton, District 57) — 608-266-3070
Gary Tauchen (R-Bonduel, District 6) — 608-266-3097
Paul Tittl (R-Manitowoc, District 25) — 608-266-0315
Central Wisconsin
Joan Ballweg (R-Markesan, District 41) — 608-266-8077
David Heaton (R-Wausau, District 85) — 608-266-0654
Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa, District 72) — 608-266-0215
Bob Kulp (R-Stratford, District 69) — 608-267-0280
Kevin Petersen (R-Waupaca, District 40) — 608-266-3794
Katrina Shankland (D-Stevens Point, District 71) — 608-267-9649
John Spiros (R-Marshfield, District 86) — 608-266-1182
Editor’s Note: The State Assembly will vote on Tuesday, July 28 on the Bucks arena bill.
Other than their undying allegiance to cheese and beer, Wisconsin legislators from opposing political parties find it impossible to discover common ground.
So it’s been surprising to see Republican and Democratic cheese-heads come together to collectively brew a bipartisan bill that relied on the support of both parties. 15 of 18 Republicans, and six of 13 Democrats in Wisconsin’s state senate voted for the newest Bucks arena proposal this past Wednesday.
Now, the only thing that stands between Milwaukee and our beloved Bucks is a vote in the State Assembly. Leaders from the assembly offered this statement:
“We would like to give our members and the public time to review the updated legislation and have a bipartisan discussion.”
~Wisconsin State Assembly leaders
Bipartisan? You mean that concept where members from both political parties actually work together, as partners, to create legislation? Does that still exist?
Just one week ago, it might have seemed impossible for a bipartisan bill to be passed, especially when we acknowledge Wisconsin as one of the most polarizing states in the country. We’re home to a governor and presidential frontrunner whose political beliefs align with the tea party, yet we’ve also hosted the largest presidential rally to date for a candidate who describes himself as a socialist. On both sides, that’s as uni-partisan as it gets.
Yet in the last week, bipartisan has become the buzzword of the Bucks arena deal negotiations.
“With the extreme divisiveness and polarization we’ve seen in Wisconsin over the past few years, bipartisan cooperation has become practically non-existent. So it’s incredibly encouraging that Democrats and Republicans in the Senate are working together…”
~Democratic Party of Wisconsin
A spokeswoman for Walker said the governor “appreciates the hard work done by bipartisan members of the Senate who came together to pass this bill.”
Before this deal was a twinkle in Alberta Darling’s eye, more than two months ago, I wrote an article about the Bucks arena deal. I ended my plea in A Tale of Two Six Seeds, which compared the San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks, with this question:
“Will Wisconsin’s legislators go the way of San Antonio and agree upon a bipartisan approach to funding the Bucks’ new stadium? Or will lawmakers let partisan politics reach a stalemate and run the risk of losing our Milwaukee Bucks?”
A month later, I wrote a second article detailing how parts of the arena deal were directly taken from my suggestions. Now, the arena deal is all but sealed.
Facts, lofty proposals that were used by Congress, attempting to take all of the credit for something I didn’t do…am I starting to bore you yet? “Budgeting is boring, your articles need to be more entertaining and colorful” says the part of psyche that hates writing about budgeting.
Here’s why you, readers who aren’t interested (and that part of my psyche) should be interested: if the deal didn’t change, you would literally be paying for it. (Note: this is one of the few times that literally is actually being used correctly. I literally can’t believe how often people misuse that term.)
On average, the original $250 million proposal would have cost Wisconsinites an average of more than $40 per person to fund the new stadium. That’s why I proposed that Milwaukee raise taxes on hotels and rental cars, so that tourists would pay for the stadium rather than you and I.
For those of us who enjoy giving charity to multi-billionaires though, the original $40 per person arena deal was a cliché slam-dunk! To be specific, it was an alley-oop: every single Wisconsinite, even those who live hours from Milwaukee, was expected to toss a wad of cash to billionaires. Walker’s original proposal, which actually resembled a plan beloved by Democrats, simply called for the state to pay for the entire $250 million dollars. That meant every single taxpayer in Wisconsin was originally going to subsidize the Milwaukee Bucks.
This is why last week, on his show Last Week Tonight, John Oliver slammed Wisconsin for being on the brink of passing a publicly financed arena funding deal.
Here’s what happened this week though: under the newly revised deal that passed in Congress, the average Wisconsinite, being someone outside of Milwaukee County, doesn’t pay a single penny.
The original plan only had two major changes: (1) adding a $2 ticket surcharge tax for all arena events and (2) eliminating the state’s plan to provide debt relief for the county.
So, only people who utilize the Bucks (those going to games) or those directly benefitting from the Bucks staying in an economic sense (Milwaukee county residents) will pay for them. Wait, that’s surprisingly smart. It’s so smart, in fact, that legislators didn’t fall into their respective political party lines, as detailed by our Zach Rosen.
“One of the best parts of this deal is that both parties agreed upon the deal in the end. The Democrats and Republicans worked together to find a compromise that made sense for the state and the Milwaukee area. There was not a ‘Democratic’ nor ‘Republican’ side…Bipartisanship at its finest.”
~Zach Rosen
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The Unsung Hero: The Man, the Myth, The Mr. Wisconsin
From left to right: Marc Lasry, Herb Kohl, and Wes Edens. (AP)
There is a single person who saved the Bucks, and thus, has propelled Wisconsin into a new era of sports prosperity. This individual is neither Alberta Darling nor Lena Taylor. It’s not Marc Lasry, nor Wesley Edens, or even Mallory Edens. It’s not even of the 21 State Senators who should be named the MVP of the arena deal.
Despite my ever-expanding ego, the objective MVP of the arena deal isn’t even me. It’s the man whose legacy will be set in steel. He is the father of modern Wisconsin sports.
Former Senator Herb Kohl is Mr. Sconnie.
Herb Kohl is quite clearly the most influential Wisconsinite of the past 30 years, especially when focusing on his contribution to Wisconsin sports. He owned the Bucks for 29 years, and paid for the Wisconsin Badgers’ basketball and hockey arena, the Kohl Center. Kohl bought the Bucks in 1985 to ensure that the team remained in Milwaukee, and Kohl sold the Bucks with the exact same goal in mind. He accomplished this by undervaluing the Bucks at $550 million. In return, the contract contained a clause that made the new owners pledge millions for a new stadium.
Additionally, Kohl pledged $100 million of his own money towards the stadium. As we watch our young Bucks thrive in the upcoming years, we should always remember the single individual who kept Milwaukee thriving.
Herb Kohl is to Wisconsin as a certain herb is to Colorado, in that both will propel the economic growth of their respective states by creating additional tax revenues.
If Kohl had simply been seeking out the best deal for himself, he would currently have an additional few hundred million dollars to his name. But, Kohl put Wisconsin first, and now Wisconsin not only has the Bucks, but hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues from the team. We should honor Kohl just as he honored Wisconsinites.
Now that I won’t need to be writing any more budgetary proposals for the next few months, I’ve decided to write a simple new proposal for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Step 1: Create a Bucks jersey for Herb Kohl.
Step 2: Make his jersey #1.
Step 3: Retire the number one.
Herb Kohl should be Wisconsin’s #1 favorite noun. Cheese will most likely be #2. Aaron Rodgers remains a close #3 (this is a proven fact). Different categories of beer round out #4 through #10.
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The Storm is Settling. Probably. Maybe.
The growth of the Bucks’ prestige as a perennial powerhouse in the East seems to be imminent. All signs point to the impending economic growth of Milwaukee, spurred by an influx of more than $1 billion of building in downtown Milwaukee.
The arena deal, going forward: In the next weeks, the 99 representatives in the Wisconsin State Assembly still have the opportunity to revise the current bill. They could, for instance, make the ticket surcharge a percentage fee rather than charging everyone, from those in the nosebleeds to those sitting on the court, a flat $2 fee. If the majority of representatives in the lower house of Wisconsin’s legislature vote in favor of the current arena deal though, and don’t suggest any changes, then the bill will go to the Milwaukee City Council before being passed to Scott Walker. Governor Walker has stated he supports the current bill. The Bucks are painfully close to officially being saved.
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I like to think that satire is effective. So, when I wrote last week about changing the the Bucks’ name to the Wisconsin Bucks I was trying to point out how ridiculous it was to force Wisconsinites from way up nort’ to pay for a team they supported less than the Bulls. I was relieved to see the state’s contribution. The people using the facility should pay for the facility. That’s a simple and logical idea.
In an ideal world, the entirety of public funding would be raised by increasing hotel and rental car taxes in Milwaukee county, alongside the proposed ticket surcharges. This way, the overwhelming proportion of funds are being paid by either tourists or Bucks fans. This is exactly what San Antonio did. In San Antonio, $146.5 million of the stadium finances were generated through a county tax increase and an increase in hotel and rental car taxes. The Spurs contributed $28.5 million, which was raised through a $1.00 increase in ticket fees for NBA games and a $1.00 parking surcharge.
San Antonio has won four championships since moving into their new stadium. Coincidence? Definitely. But would the Spurs have moved out of San Antonio without a new deal that was economically responsible? Definitely.
With the recent stellar signings of Greg Monroe and Khris Middleton, the Bucks are looking to contend for a championship in the next few years. I touched on this shift in the NBA power structure in my first article
There is a revolution in the NBA, a democratization of the game that is making playoff parity the norm. The most shocking part is that many of the teams fueling this revolution are located in relatively small markets.
One of the three reasons that I stated for the Bucks’ immaculate turnaround from being the worst team in the NBA was our decision to invest wisely. The current Bucks arena proposal isn’t perfect, but it is a solid improvement from the previous deal and an overall great investment for Wisconsin.
The timing for signing the Bucks’ arena bill is not as important as the fact that bipartisan discussions have brought this deal to the brink of being signed. The Milwaukee Bucks are, by all accounts, most likely staying in Milwaukee.
We’ve saved our Bucks. Probably. Hopefully.
I see him winning it so well, that my name is made illustrious there by the light of his.
~A Tale of Two Cities: The Track of a Storm (Book the Third)
I see (the Bucks) winning it so well, that (Milwaukee’s) name is made illustrious there by the light of (the Bucks).
~A Tale of Two Six Seeds: The Track of a Storm (Article the Third)
“This deal has taken a little work, but the Bucks are big bucks for Wisconsin.” – Senator Lena C. Taylor (D-Milwaukee).
Around 5:47 PM today, Wednesday, July 15, 2015, the Wisconsin State Senate passed the Bucks arena bill with 21 votes to 10. Two Senators were absent: Sen. Frank Lasee (R) and Sen. Mark Miller (D).
Click here for the Bucks’ statement on the arena bill being passed in the Senate.
The original plan only had two major changes: (1) adding a $2 ticket surcharge tax for all arena events and (2) eliminating the state’s plan to provide debt relief for the county. The surcharge revenue will be 75% ($1.50) to the Wisconsin Center District (WCD) and 25% ($.50) to the state [surprisingly instead of the county]. It’s unknown exactly how much revenue the surcharge will create, but it’s estimated to be between $10-15 million per year. Milwaukee Mayor Barrett wanted the WCD to get all (100% instead of 75%) of the ticket surcharge, as it will build up a lot of debt through the years on this bill. Regardless, Mayor Barrett assured that passing the bill today was important:
But @Barrett4MKE says it is important Senate pass @Bucks arena deal today. With only 31 members present, only 16 votes needed for passage.
— Greg Neumann (@gneumann_wkow) July 15, 2015
The debt relief change eliminating the county’s delinquent debt of $80 million the state was going to help recover was very upsetting to Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, who cancelled his events early in the day to go to Madison. Abele was reportedly “livid” about making the county’s taxpayers now pay $4 million per year as part of the county’s budget..Essentially, the state will not collect $4 million per year that they were supposed to collect from taxpayers that owed money (delinquent debt). Luckily for Abele, a separate agreement can still be made to have the state collect some debt on behalf of the county. Additionally, it looks like the county will make money off selling the property of Park East, where the arena will be built. It was reported the county could sell the property to the Bucks’ owners for $1, which will likely change now that the county feels they are getting the worst part of the deal. Here are the details from the Milwaukee Business Journal’s Sean Ryan on the Park East deal:
Like the Bucks owners, the competing team offered $1 for the land, but also requested public money to remove the more than 100 underground footings for the former Park East freeway spur’s support columns. The Milwaukee Bucks owners, in their offer for the Park East, would pay the cost of removing the footings, which is estimated to be at least $2 million.
The county’s $8.8 million appraisal for the Park East land does not include the discount for the cost of removing the footings, or an estimated $6 million in work to relocate an underground sewer lateral.
One of the best parts of this deal is that both parties agreed upon the deal in the end. The Democrats and Republicans worked together to find a compromise that made sense for the state and the Milwaukee area. There was not a “Democratic” nor “Republican” side to exactly take on the deal, which really helped push it through the Senate. In fact, two Democratic leaders will be added to the arena’s board to help balance out the politics that may be forthcoming. Bipartisanship at its finest.
We now await the Assembly to decide the next steps for caucusing and voting upon the bill, which will have to be the exact same one passed in the Senate. Start calling your Assembly reps!
Here is the amendment document pertaining to the arena bill (very detailed).
Here is the Legislative Fiscal Bureau’s memo on the changes (much easier to read).
Mayor Tom Barrett and State Senator Lena Taylor have confirmed that a deal has been reached and the Senate will vote tomorrow on the bill! They would not be voting unless they had the votes to pass this, as Majority Senate Leader Scott Fitzgerald has said in the past. YES!
BREAKING: Senator Lena Taylor says a deal is done. The Bucks Arena plan will pass state senate tomorrow.
— Ben Handelman (@BenHandelman) July 15, 2015
The Senate will pass the Bucks arena deal tomorrow. Thank you all for helping, especially @nbated @brewcitypaul @SaveOurBucks @Border_Banter
— Sconnie Sports Talk (@SconSportsTalk) July 15, 2015
The deal is done! The Bucks are staying in Wisconsin! #SAVEDOurBucks pic.twitter.com/Jx1KdIc0Se
— Border Banter (@Border_Banter) July 15, 2015
BREAKING ARENA NEWS: Per @SenTaylor & @MayorOfMKE Senate will vote on MKE Arena Tomorrow @SaveOurBucks
— Paul Henning (@brewcitypaul) July 15, 2015
@SenTaylor just confirmed publicly, in person, Senate WILL vote tomorrow on arena @SaveOurBucks @PlayItForwardWI
— Dan Hoelzl (@daniseverywhere) July 15, 2015
Update – Tuesday, July 14 7:21 PM
NBA Commissioner made it clear in an interview tonight that the Bucks will hopefully stay in Milwaukee, and they do not plan to move them, especially to Las Vegas.
Silver said he expects the Bucks arena vote will pass tomorrow and not relocate to Vegas
— Vincent Goodwill (@vgoodwill) July 15, 2015
Update – Tuesday, July 14 5:58 PM
There are many rumors swarming, but we will VERY confident it will pass tomorrow. Reports say that the county debt collection is out of the bill in exchange for the ticket surcharge, the Senate will meet tomorrow (Wednesday) at 11 AM, and if a deal is reached, the bill will pass in the Senate and move to the Assembly.
Click here for WTMJ’s story on the Senate’s meeting tomorrow at 11 AM.
.@SenChrisLarson tells me he's been assured the MKE Co. debt collection idea is out of Bucks plan, and he's voting yes.
— David Ade (@DavidAdeCBS58) July 14, 2015
.@SenDarling says WI Senators will caucus Weds at 11 on the Bucks arena. Says she hopes they go to the floor to vote. No guarantee, though.
— Shawn Johnson (@SJohnsonWPR) July 14, 2015
.@SenDarling says when it comes to proposed changes to the Bucks arena deal, "nothing is poured in concrete."
— Shawn Johnson (@SJohnsonWPR) July 14, 2015
Update – Tuesday, July 14 5:00 PM
We stand by Ade’s report, but Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald’s Communications Director Myranda Tanck says what Ade reported is not confirmed (tweet below).
@DavidAdeCBS58 Senators still meeting. This is not confirmed.
— Myranda Tanck (@myrandatanck) July 14, 2015
We also have more details on Milwaukee County’s contribution. Instead of relying on delinquent debt, the ticket surcharge tax would fill the $80 million total ($55 million bond + interest) over 20 years the county was “responsible” for (the state was going to give them debt relief). This is good news for taxpayers, in my opinion, because that debt may not have all been collected and may have been more costly than we think. With a ticket subcharge instead of county debt collection, the plan now looks like it will be public cost of $360 million instead of $440 million in real dollars. The bottom line is they took out the most questionable part of the bill and added certainty with the ticket surcharge tax.
According to CBS 58’s David Ade, who has been covering the Bucks arena deal, the Wisconsin State Senate will vote tomorrow, with a ticket surcharge being added to the bill and the county debt collection out of the plan, and there will be “at least 17” “YES” votes to pass the deal through the Senate!!!! This is big news as the Senate was seen as the hardest governmental body to get this by. Once it passes the Senate, the Assembly (where it is considered to be easier to pass this bill) will vote on it, then Governor Walker signs off on it before a vote by the Milwaukee City Council would take place. Follow all of the details here, with updates as soon as we get them. WOO!!!
Hearing from reliable source; WI Senate will meet tomorrow, ticket surcharge will be part of plan, and there are "at least 17 votes" for it.
— David Ade (@DavidAdeCBS58) July 14, 2015
@SenChrisLarson tells media he's told MKE County debt collection is out of Bucks plan. If that's certain, says he's a "yes" vote. @CBS58
— David Ade (@DavidAdeCBS58) July 14, 2015
Updates from Tuesday, July 14 3:10 PM
The Republicans and Democrats have been caucusing at the Capitol in Madison, as Peter Feigin, Bucks president, waits outside, according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jason Stein.
Earlier today, Miller Coors, We Energies, unions, and more announced their support for the bill.
Senator Scott Fitzgerald said there is talk with Democrats about a third phase of a new downtown Milwaukee convention center, but it will not be in this deal, just part of the politics at hand (WKOW’s Greg Neumann)
CBS 58’s David had some political updates about the deal as well, with things looking good from the Milwaukee Senators (minus Tim Carpenter):
Democrats say they are looking for changes to Bucks deal before committing to a vote. The goal is to hammer out changes today, vote tomorrow
— David Ade (@DavidAdeCBS58) July 14, 2015
Dems looking to change high interest bonds for Center District, debt collection for MKE County/city, Center Dist. board structure proposal.
— David Ade (@DavidAdeCBS58) July 14, 2015
MKE's @SenChrisLarson says he's hopeful Republicans and Dems can figure out changes to plan, and he can announce his support later today.
— David Ade (@DavidAdeCBS58) July 14, 2015
MKE's @SenTaylor on if she's a yes vote on Bucks arena, "I'm a public Lena Taylor, Senator who is very supportive of us having the Bucks."
— David Ade (@DavidAdeCBS58) July 14, 2015
@NikiyaQHarris on Bucks arena plan: "I need to see this happen because I know it's going to be a great job creator…"
— David Ade (@DavidAdeCBS58) July 14, 2015
@SenFitzgerald: "I'm still hopeful, I'm still positive that we can kind of strike a deal that makes sense and come together tomorrow…"
— David Ade (@DavidAdeCBS58) July 14, 2015
With Wednesday being the target day for the Senate’s vote, tomorrow is a BIG day. Both parties in the Senate will likely meet to discuss the bill. Also,Alderman Robert J. Bauman will host town hall meeting tomorrow at the Milwaukee Public Library’s Centennial Hall from 6-8 PM. Mayor Tom Barrett will deliver a presentation on the proposal for the new arena. We have 24 hours to make calls, rally support, and make sure the arena bill gets passed.
Things are looking positive though, as it’s being reported that the Republicans have 14-15 of the required 17 votes for the Senate. That information comes from CBS 58’s David Ade, who also tweeted out that if Sen. Taylor, Sen. Chris Larson, and Sen. Nikiya Harris Dodd vote for the bill, it WILL pass on Wednesday. Sen. Taylor has also tweeted out today that she has exciting news to share tomorrow, so we look forward to hearing that!
@jmort82 @nbated I can't speculate on that. I can tell you one reliable Republican source says so far they have 14-15 of the 17 needed votes
— David Ade (@DavidAdeCBS58) July 14, 2015
A Wisconsin Senate source tells me if the three MKE Senators vote for the #Bucks arena plan, it will pass the Senate this week. @cbs58
— David Ade (@DavidAdeCBS58) July 13, 2015
Here is their contact information, please call, write, tweet at, email, etc. them rallying your support!
Senator Lena C. Taylor
Telephone: (608) 266-5810
District Phone: (414) 342-7176
Email: Sen.Taylor@legis.wisconsin.gov
Twitter: @SenTaylor
Senator Chris Larson
Telephone: (608) 266-7505; (800) 361-5487
Email: Sen.Larson@legis.wisconsin.gov
Twitter: @SenChrisLarson
Don’t just stop at calling these three if you have time; make sure your local Senator knows as well how you feel. You can find all of the Senate’s contact information here: http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/legislators/senate
