Cities that were relying on Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority for new spring-training complexes in the Cactus League may face some serious issues, as ASTA officials put off scheduled payments and warn of further shortfalls. The issue is simple: the two main sources of tax revenue for ASTA — a 1 percent hotel tax and […]
Tag Archives | funding
No public money for new Angels ballpark: Tustin mayor
If Arte Moreno wants a new Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ballpark in Tustin, he’ll need to move ahead with no public funding, according to Mayor Al Murray. Moreno and Murray met last week to discuss the potential of a new ballpark at the city’s decommissioned Marine Corps Air Station, a site attractive because of […]
Poll: Little support for public funding of new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark
A poll of Tampa residents reveals little appetite for public funding of a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark, as residents would rather use proceeds from a downtown tax district to house the homeless or transit upgrades. Now, it’s not unusual to see ballpark funding plans receive poor ratings in polls — people love the idea […]
Franchise owners offer $12.1M toward new El Paso ballpark
To close a funding gap in construction of a new downtown El Paso ballpark, team owners MountainStar Sports have offered to pay $12.1 million to cover the overages. Under the proposal, the city would borrow $60.8 million toward the new ballpark instead of the original $52.8 million. (Why is the city borrowing more? Municipalities typically […]
Study: New Rays ballpark shouldn’t require new taxes
Neither Tampa nor St. Petersburg holds an advantage when it comes to funding a new Tampa Ray Rays ballpark, as a study indicates existing revenue streams in both cities could be tapped without residents facing a tax increase. The Baseball Stadium Finance Caucus, a joint effort of the St. Petersburg and Tampa chambers of commerce, […]
Concerns raised over Hillsboro ballpark financing — but are they warranted?
More concerns are arising over Hillsboro’s decision to possibly back funding of a new ballpark with general funds, but given the size of the Oregon city, we’re not so sure the concern is warranted. Usually cities back bonds with dedicated revenue streams, like property taxes, sales-tax revenues or rental-car-tax proceeds. The advantage: bonds backed by […]
Cal to San Jose: Slow down on new ballpark
The state of California is casting a covetous eye at San Jose land envisioned for a new Oakland A’s ballpark, arguing it was improperly shielded from the state takeover of redevelopment agency assets. This is a process story, to be sure, and one that has more to do with state politics than the building of […]
Hagerstown citizens: Build downtown ballpark
In a departure from the norm, the vast majority of residents speaking at a city forum came out for spending public money on a new downtown ballpark for the Hagerstown Suns (Low Class A; Sally League). When the public is invited to speak on something as controversial as government spending on a ballpark, you get […]
Illinois guv: no public money for Wrigley Field renovations
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn laid down the law today: no way the state contributes to an effort to spend public money on a renovation of the privately owned Wrigley Field. “Our state has severe fiscal challenges so the very idea of the state of Illinois spending millions and millions of dollars on Wrigley Field, I […]
Poll: Wilmington residents overwhelmingly oppose public financing of new ballpark
A poll of 300 registered voters in Wilmington, N.C., indicated broad opposition to city financing of a new ballpark for an Atlanta Braves farm team — but don’t take it too seriously just yet. The proposal calls for a $40-million waterfront ballpark in downtown Wilmington, as part of a larger development. A High Class A […]
Milwaukie shifts ballpark planning; brings in Rose Garden exec as consultant
Milwaukie (Ore.) officials have changed tack on the quest to land minor-league baseball, bringing in a former Rose Garden exec to work out a game plan for a Northwest League team. J.E. Isaac, president of the Portland Business Association and a former Portland Trail Blazers (NBA) executive, will work with the city on a funding […]
Ottawa baseball bid losing steam?
The schedule for a city-designed bidding process for Ottawa Stadium is reportedly slipping, as the push to bring an Eastern League club to the Canadian capital may be slowing down even further. We noted last month that a prime topic of chatter at the Winter Meetings was a lack of progress in bringing a Double-A […]
Tampa: We could have $100M for new Rays ballpark
Money currently generated by a downtown Tampa TIF district to pay down convention-center bonds could be used in 2015 and beyond for a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark, according to city officials. The tax-increment financing district currently generates some $13.5 million a year, and the Tampa Convention Center bons are slated to be paid off […]