CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics cleared a major hurdle for their planned move to Las Vegas after the Nevada Legislature gave final approval Wednesday to public funding for part of a proposed 1-stage stadium. .5 billion with a retractable roof.
The deal still needs the governor’s signature and MLB still needs to approve the A’s move to Las Vegas, but both are expected.
The Assembly approved the final version of the bill with $380 million in taxpayers’ money in a vote of 25 to 15 after making minor changes to the measure approved by the Senate in a vote of 13 against 8 on Tuesday just hours before the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup.
The Senate accepted the changes without debate on a voice vote Wednesday night and sent it to the governor’s office as an “emergency measure” passed during the special legislative session that met with Democratic majorities in the two rooms on June 7. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo had proposed the stadium spending plan.
The $380 million in public funding would come primarily from $180 million in transferable tax credits and $120 million in county bonds. The backers promised that creating a special tax district around the proposed stadium – which would be the smallest in Major League Baseball – would generate enough money to pay off those bonds and interest. The plan would not raise taxes directly.
Nevada’s plan had reignited the national debate over public funding of private sports clubs. Representatives from A and some Nevada tourism officials said the measure could add to Las Vegas’ growing sports scene and act as an economic driver. But a growing chorus of economists and some lawmakers have warned that such a project would bring minimal benefits compared to the high public price.
Under the agreement approved Wednesday, the A’s would not be liable for property taxes for the public stadium. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, would also contribute $25 million in credit for infrastructure costs.
The Legislative vote is a victory in the troubled search for the A’s to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team previously sought to build a stadium in Fremont, in California, as well as San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront – all ideas that never came to fruition.