Madison, Wisconsin. – Gov. Tony Evers wants to give Milwaukee Brewers nearly $300 million of Wisconsin’s budget surplus to repair and renovate American Family Field.

The governor’s office announced Tuesday that its executive budget will include $290 million of the surplus for Stadium repairs. In exchange for the money, the Brewers agreed to extend the stadium’s lease by 13 years until 2043, the administration and team said.

“As a governor and also a lifelong Brewers fan, I am so excited about the historic opportunity we have today to keep Major League Baseball here in Milwaukee for another twenty years and usher in a new generation of Brewers fans. in Wisconsin who can grow up rooting for the home team like I do,” Evers said in a statement.

However, there is still a long way to go before an agreement is reached. Evers is set to release its full 2023-2025 budget on Wednesday. Republicans on the Legislative Assembly’s powerful finance committee will spend the next four months reviewing it before sending it to the full Senate and Assembly for approval. From there, the spending plan goes back to Evers, who can rewrite it again using his powerful partial veto.

The money to renovate the stadium will be a one-time payment from the government’s surplus, which currently stands at about $7 billion. But the proposal is sure to rekindle the old debate about whether private sports teams deserve government handouts to keep going — especially the brewers, who benefited enormously from the sales tax that helped build the stadium.

Rick Schlesinger, president of business operations for Brewers, said in a statement that the stadium has had a $2.5 billion impact on the state’s economy since it opened in 2001 and generates millions of dollars in state tax revenue each year.

“Milwaukee Brewers is committed to working with politicians on both sides of the aisle to extend the life of American Family Field and help make Major League Baseball in Wisconsin possible for the next generation,” Schlesinger said. “As the smallest market identified by MLB, Milwaukee requires a first-class model stadium to increase ticket sales and competition, which makes maintaining the model stadium even more important.”

The stadium opened in 2001 under the name Miller Park, replacing the aging Milwaukee County Stadium. The construction cost was approximately $392 million, primarily from a 0.1% sales tax levied in Milwaukee County and four other counties surrounding the stadium.

Construction got off to a rough start. The tax was a lightning rod for criticism; Republican Senator George Petak was removed from office in 1996 after he changed his vote from no to yes on the tax plan. And in 1999, three construction workers died at the stadium when a crane collapsed and crashed into their observation lift.

But in the end the park was built. Known for its distinctive fan-tail retractable roof, the stadium has become a destination for Wisconsin baseball fans as the Brewers experienced a resurgence in the late 2000s, reaching their first playoff appearance in 26 years in 2008. The team made the playoffs five more times. since then, including two appearances in the National League championship series.

The tax was eventually introduced that same year and generated about $605 million before it expires in 2020. The name of the stadium has been changed to American Family Field. in 2021 after the Brewers entered into a 15-year naming rights deal with an insurance company.

The Southeast Wisconsin Pro Baseball Park District essentially serves as the stadium’s brewers’ homeowner. The Brewers’ lease requires the county to cover repairs, but Evers’ office said the sales tax repeal left the county short on funds, according to the governor’s office and the Brewers.

“We oppose a five-county tax refund and are prepared to commit to a lease extension to keep the Brewers at American Family Field through at least 2042,” Brewers’ Schlesinger said.

Evers’ office said the $290 million payment will go to the county, which will invest the money and earn interest on it as it allocates funds for renovations.

Former Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, signed a bill in August 2015 to provide $250 million in taxpayer dollars to pay for the Fiserv Forum, the arena of the Milwaukee Bucks. In 2000, Brown County residents approved a half-cent sales tax to help pay for renovations at Lambo Field, home of the Green Bay Packers. This tax expired in 2015 after receiving about $310 million.