Milwaukee County Exec Thomas Ament offered a new plan to
help finance a Brewers ballpark on Friday, as county supervisors
"generally praised the plan or reserved judgement." According to
Schuldt & Lamke of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, Milwaukee
County would borrow $36.4M to help close the $50M gap in
financing and take ownership of 22% of the new stadium, with the
Baseball District holding 64% and the Brewers 14%. WI Gov. Tommy
Thompson and Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist had "cautious praise,"
with Thompson proposing a combination of Ament's plan and one
offered Thursday by Norquist involving getting proceeds from the
sale of a downtown parking garage. Supervisors said Ament's plan
could help move the $250M stadium forward, but "more information
is needed." Ament said issuing 30-year bonds would not put
Milwaukee County taxpayers at risk, as the bonds would be covered
by a $3.85M annual payment from the district to the county and by
raising the Brewers' rent by $280,000, to $1.38M. The bonds
would be insured and the $3.85M raised through the 0.1% stadium
sales tax. Ament will make a formal proposal to the stadium
board supervisors on Tuesday (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 6/22).
After a meeting Saturday between Brewers President Bud Selig and
Thompson, the governor said he expected a new financing proposal
from the team shortly. Brewers officials "were somewhat buoyed
by the meeting, saying later that they felt the governor was more
supportive off them than he had been in recent weeks" (Kenneth
Lamke, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 6/23). Selig addressed nearly
10,000 fans at a "We Love Ya, Bud" rally before Saturday's game
against the Angels. Radio personality Hank Stoddard: "If we
don't have the Brewers, all we'll be is Des Moines, Iowa with
beer and brats" (Tom Haudricourt, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL,
6/23).
