Nevada Senate Vote On Proposed A’s Stadium In Las Vegas Extended Until Next Week

Jun 8, 2023, 8:08 PM

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 21: A view shows the Las Vegas Strip, including T-Mobile Arena (L), home of the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights, behind the site that the Oakland Athletics agreed in principle to purchase from Red Rock Resorts Inc. for a potential new ballpark on April 21, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The A's President Dave Kaval said the deal for the 49-acre plot of land, formerly the home of Wild Wild West Gambling Hall & Hotel, could be used to relocate the Major League Baseball franchise from Oakland to Las Vegas. The team will now work on a public-private partnership to build a USD 1.5 billion, 30,000-to-35,000-seat, partially retractable-roof stadium in time for the 2027 season. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

BY GABE STERN ASSOCIATED PRESS/REPORT FOR AMERICA

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — The Nevada Senate adjourned Thursday without voting on a financing bill for a proposed $1.5 billion Las Vegas Strip stadium for the Oakland Athletics, extending the special legislative session into the next week amid negotiations over whether to contribute $380 million in public funding to the project.

The measure can still be amended by lawmakers, and if it passes the Senate it would still need approval from the Assembly before going to the desk of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, who has expressed support for it. Both the state Senate and Assembly are adjourned until Monday.

The @Athletics’ search for a new home drew lawmakers into a special legislative session to weigh whether the state of Nevada should cover $380 million of the $1.5 billion ballpark planned for the Las Vegas Strip. ⚾️ 🏟️#MLB #Athletics https://t.co/DYaRj5bQW5

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) June 8, 2023

In a hearing that began Wednesday and stretched into the early morning hours Thursday, lawmakers peppered tourism officials and a representative from a firm partnering with the ball club with questions about the feasibility and benefits of financing such a deal.

Public funds for the stadium 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 would generate enough money to pay off those bonds and interest. The plan would not directly raise taxes.

The A’s would not owe property taxes for the publicly owned stadium. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, would also contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

A’s representatives and some tourism officials say a deal would further grow Las Vegas’ developing sports scene and act as an economic engine, but a growing chorus of economists and some lawmakers warn that the project would bring minimal benefits for the hefty public price tag.