Bucks' proposed arena deal could be pulled from state budget, stand as separate bill
The excitement of two weeks ago has dissipated.
The Milwaukee Bucks seemed poised to land the new arena that could keep them in Wisconsin for the foreseeable future, with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker announcing a new, $500-million financing deal.
The proposed arena-funding plan led to plenty of optimism, but as a vote on the state budget draws near, skepticism has crept in. The deal would see the public fund $250 million of the new downtown facility, and has been presented as a way to maintain tax income and create new jobs in the state.
But other implicit costs have led to doubt that the public contribution will stop at $250 million, and the financing deal's current inclusion in the state budget - a contentious matter whether or not it involves the arena - has made its chances of approval tenuous.
As the Milwaukee Business Journal explains:
Complicating matters are the much larger questions in the state budget and the Republican legislators pushing back on multiple sections of Gov. Scott Walker's proposed spending plans. Most observers believe the arena-funding plan has a better chance if it remains in the budget rather than as a separate vote.
"I'd give it 50-50 right now that it stays in the budget," said Steve Baas, vice president of intergovernmental affairs for arena supporter, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.
If the arena-funding proposal is separated, Republican state Senate leaders may need the support of Democrats in the minority and that would involve concessions on the arena plan and possibly other budget matters.
In other words, if the deal stays in the budget, its details could wind up being used as a bargaining chip - and if the deal is removed, its chances of passing may decrease. Removing the arena-financing plan from the state budget would mean trying to pass it as a separate bill, which Baas said would make things "more difficult but not necessarily impossible."
Just got off the phone with a WI state senator who told me, the Bucks arena deal, "It's a no go". Another told me, "It's on life support".
— Bill Michaels (@Bill_Michaels) June 18, 2015
If the Bucks haven't begun construction on a new arena by 2017, the NBA owns the option to buy the franchise back from new owners Marc Lasry and Wesley Edens at a favorable price. The general belief is that the team would then be movable, depending on potential owners, arena availability, and market factors.
Concern over losing the team has led Bucks fans to rally, both in person and online, urging legislators to help secure the team's future.