CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics cleared a major hurdle for their planned relocation to Las Vegas after the Nevada Legislature gave final approval on Wednesday to public funding for a portion of a proposed $1.5 billion stadium with a retractable roof.
The deal that backers said will help further establish Las Vegas as the new “entertainment and sports capital of the world” still needs the governor's signature, and MLB still must approve the A’s move to the Las Vegas Strip, but both are anticipated.
The Assembly approved the final version of the bill with $380 million in taxpayer money on a 25-15 vote after making minor changes to the measure the Senate approved on a 13-8 vote Tuesday just hours before the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup.
The Senate accepted the changes with no debate on a voice vote Wednesday night and sent it to the governor's desk as an “emergency measure” adopted during the special legislative session that convened with Democratic majorities in both houses June 7. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo had proposed the stadium spending plan.
The governor's office didn't immediately respond to requests for comments Wednesday night from The Associated Press. The A's said in a statement released by the team they look forward to “Lombardo's signature as our next step” as they “work to bring the Athletics to Las Vegas.”
The $380 million in public funding would mainly come from $180 million in transferable tax credits and $120 million in county bonds. Backers have pledged that the creation of a special tax district around the proposed stadium — that would be the smallest in Major League Baseball — would generate enough money to pay off those bonds and interest. The plan would not directly raise taxes.
The Nevada plan had revived the national debate over public funding for private sports clubs. A’s representatives and some Nevada tourism officials have said the measure could add to Las Vegas’ growing sports scene and act as an economic engine. But a growing chorus of economists and some lawmakers have warned that such a project would bring minimal benefits when compared to the hefty public price tag.
Assemblywoman Selena La Rue Hatch, D-Reno, said Wednesday night she couldn't support the public financing given a lack of funding for Nevada's overcrowded classrooms, inadequate child care services and “people sleeping on the streets.”
“No amount of amendments are going to change the fact we are giving millions of public dollars to a billionaire," she said.