The Green Bay City Council gave final approval last
night to a naming-rights and maintenance agreement with the
Packers, and "moved the community one step closer to a
historic vote" on whether to approve a 0.5% Brown County
(WI) sales tax to help fund the $295M renovation proposal
for Lambeau Field, according to Don Walker of the MILWAUKEE
JOURNAL SENTINEL. The Lambeau Field professional football
stadium district is scheduled to meet July 24 to set the
referendum date, expected to be September 12. Under last
night's agreement, the city and team agreed that neither
party can change the name of the facility "without the
consent of the other" and that naming rights proceeds will
be "split." The parties also agreed that if naming rights
are sold, "the new name should be chosen before" the first
regular-season game of the 2003 season. The "highest bidder
will get the naming rights, as long as it is over" $120M and
the name is not considered "offensive." The agreement also
says that the team will be responsible for paying all
maintenance and will be allowed to "tap into" an operations
and maintenance fund funded through an income tax checkoff,
the sale of bricks and tiles, "specialty" license plates and
a ticket tax (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 7/19). Packers
Senior VP/Administration John Jones, on the vote: "This was
a crucial step. It was required under the law." In Green
Bay, Thomas Content cites opponents of the measure as saying
that "they were wary of whether naming rights would ever be
sold because they anticipate the Packers would launch a
campaign not to sell naming rights" (PRESS-GAZETTE, 7/19).
