Will Milwaukee Brewers look to relocate if state stadium financing package fails?

MADISON - The Milwaukee Brewers could start looking for a new home this fall if state and local officials fail to reach agreement by then on a taxpayer-funded package to fund improvements to American Family Field required in the team’s lease with the state, sources say — a process that might lead them to the boomtowns of Charlotte, North Carolina or Nashville, Tennessee. 

Months after Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers proposed spending $290 million in taxpayer dollars to help ensure the Brewers stay in Wisconsin, and after the Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred urged lawmakers to act quickly, a deal has not yet materialized.

That has pushed Brewers officials to a point of contemplating whether communities with fast-growing populations, and no Major League Baseball teams, might be options if state and local officials don't produce enough funding for stadium renovations, sources with knowledge of the dynamic told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel..

Those renovations are required to maintain the terms of the team's lease with the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District.

The Brewers' lease with the state-created stadium district does not expire until the end of 2030.

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Team executives are giving thought to leaving because without a funding deal the stadium district may not have enough money to cover immediate recommended improvements to American Family Field. And because it could take years to facilitate a move if the Brewers reach that point.

Such talk also could pressure state legislators to act.

"The Brewers genuinely want to stay, it is only a question of whether they’ll be able to with the (stadium) district broke," a source familiar with negotiations told the Journal Sentinel.

Gov. Evers, lawmakers still talking about funding package

But Milwaukee losing the Brewers remains unlikely as lawmakers and Evers are still supportive of putting together a package to keep the team in town. Also, such relocations are rare for MLB teams.

Rick Schlesinger, president of business operations for the Brewers, said the team wants "Major League Baseball to remain in Wisconsin for the next generation and beyond."

"We will keep working with both sides of the aisle to find a creative solution to ensure the stadium district can meet its obligations, and sign a generational lease extension at American Family Field," he said in a statement.

In May, the Journal Sentinel obtained information showing immediate ballpark improvements, recommended by a study commissioned by the Milwaukee Brewers and vetted by the state Department of Administration, total $78 million over two years. That exceeds the stadium district's $70 million renovations fund.

Tim Sheehy, stadium district board chair, acknowledged the study's recommendations for front-loading much of that proposed spending. But, the district can only operate under its current lease, and not under an assumed long-term extension, he said.

Sheehy drew this analogy: a homeowner staying in their house for 20 years will pay for major improvements, while a homeowner planning to sell in a few years might forgo such an expense.

Stadium funding removed from Evers' budget proposal

Evers proposed spending $290 million on American Family Field as part of his $104 billion budget proposal that leaned on a $7 billion budget surplus. The plan, introduced in February, was ultimately scrapped by Republican lawmakers.

Evers' proposed payment would have been combined with the $70 million already set aside by the stadium district, along with interest earnings, to pay for $448 million in renovations over 20 years.

In return, the Brewers would extend their lease with the state from the end of 2030 to the end of 2043 − generating $400 million in state income and sales tax revenue.

A report commissioned by the Brewers, and reviewed by a state consultant, provides details on how that $448 million, which includes an inflation contingency,would be spent.

Lease with Brewers requires on-going improvements

The stadium district is required to make improvements to American Family Field to keep the stadium on par with the majority of all Major League Baseball stadiums, according to the lease.

In May, MLB Commissioner Manfred paid a visit to Milwaukee and told reporters it's important a ballpark funding plan be promptly approved by government officials. He cited Oakland, California's loss of the Athletics to Las Vegas as a cautionary tale.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said in June his caucus had not been able to find consensus with Democratic lawmakers who will likely be needed to pass a package to help pay for long-term improvements. Vos said he wanted to send a bill to Evers' desk by July 4 but the self-imposed deadline came and went without any developments.

A Republican-authored bill is in the works and could be released before the Legislature's next floor period in September but details have not been made public, making it unclear whether all stakeholders will support the ideas.

"We are engaging in discussions, and working to find a consensus that everyone can support," Vos said in a statement. "We hope to have a finalized proposal in the near future. We do not want the (Brewers) to leave, nor do we think they will."

Republicans who control the Legislature rejected Evers' proposal and have been negotiating a separate deal. Vos said in June local governments must contribute to the public financing package in exchange for his caucus's support.

Milwaukee officials opposed local funding for stadium

Milwaukee city and county officials have opposed providing local funding for the ballpark. They say the main economic benefits generated by the Brewers are state tax revenues.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley in June signed a resolution, passed unanimously by the County Board, opposing any county funds used for American Family Field's renovations. But in recent days, Crowley has expressed a willingness to find a way to free up local revenue that could be used for stadium renovations, according to CBS58.

A spokesman for Crowley did not respond to interview requests from the Journal Sentinel.

In a statement to the Journal Sentinel, Evers' spokeswoman Britt Cudaback said moving forward with the governor's proposal would settle the uncertainty and save money long term.

"The potential that the Brewers could imminently leave Wisconsin is why Gov. Evers proposed investing a portion of the state’s historic surplus to ensure the Brewers stay in Milwaukee for the next 20 years, ultimately saving taxpayers $200 million in the long run while generating $400 million in revenue over the next decade," Cudaback said.

"Ensuring the Brewers remain in Milwaukee is critical for our state’s future economic success and keeping good-paying, family-supporting jobs here in Wisconsin."

Will Democratic lawmakers support stadium funding?

A financing package from state Legislature may require Democratic votes to pass in the state Senate. Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard said in a statement she looks forward to "continuing the conversation with my caucus and Republican colleagues."

"It is imperative that any solution offered considers the local needs of Milwaukee, as well as the collective needs of our state," Agard said.

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu and Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer did not respond to questions from the Journal Sentinel.

Major League Baseball teams do not move often. The Oakland A's plan to move to Las Vegas in 2025, the first MLB relocation in nearly 20 years.

In 2004, the Montreal Expos were moved to Washington and became the Nationals. Before that, no MLB team had relocated since 1971 when the Washington Senators became the Texas Rangers.