WI Revenue Secretary Mark Bugher said yesterday if the
tenth-of-a-cent stadium sales tax is suspended by the state
stadium board, it "should not be put back in place," according to
Amy Rinard of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. Bugher said that
he, WI Gov. Tommy Thompson and state Administration Secretary
James Klauser all have suggested to Stadium Board Chair Robert
Trunzo that "if the board takes the tax off, it should not be put
back on. We should not be in a roller-coaster situation." The
Board last week rejected the latest stadium financing proposal,
which called on them to assume an additional $50M in debt to
replace a loan that the Brewers were to obtain. The group is to
meet again to consider suspending the five-county tax that was to
pay for the $160M public share of stadium construction. One
Board member said, "By our next meeting, it'll be build or not
build; the decision will have been made one way or the other."
Bugher said it would be a "major tax administration challenge" to
suspend the tax, adding there would be even a greater problem
reimposing it because it would confuse retailers and the public
(MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 6/20).
IN CHARLOTTE: Today's CHARLOTTE OBSERVER includes multiple
features on the possibility of the city acquiring the Brewers.
The OBSERVER's Lyle & Bonnell question sports and business
leaders on the potential of baseball in Charlotte. The write,
"While opinions range from brash optimism to skepticism, most
agree: Ready or not, if the Brewers come calling, the city can't
afford to turn them away." Columnist Tom Sorensen writes, "You
know and I know that the Brewers might be using us." But, he
adds, if the Brewers have to move, "why not here?" But one fan
at last night's Triple-A Charlotte Knights game does not want the
Brewers: "You get those million-dollar players in here and ticket
prices would go up. The traffic would get worse. It would be a
mess" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 6/20).
