When the Oakland Athletics (A’s) first announced earlier in May that it had worked with Nevada lawmakers to produce a draft of a $380 million public financing package to help fund its proposed stadium on the site of the Tropicana Las Vegas, there was much optimism and fanfare.
Now, several weeks later, that optimism has suffered some major blows, and the status of the team’s potential Las Vegas relocation is somewhat like a fly ball in the sun—up in the air, and no one knows exactly where it’ll fall.
The funding package was first introduced to the state Legislature in the form of Senate Bill 509 (SB509), but the legislative session adjourned at midnight June 5 without voting on the measure.
Governor Joe Lombardo then immediately called a special session on June 6 to consider the bill, and lawmakers reconvened the following day. However, many were not happy to see that no changes were made to the original bill—the so-called SB1 was in fact an exact copy of the failed SB509.
Essentially, the $380 million package would include $180 million worth of transferable tax credits from the state, half of which would be repaid through a special tax district set up around the stadium site. The contribution from Clark County would total $145 million—$120 million would be repaid from tax district revenue but the remaining $25 million would be earmarked for infrastructure costs.
When lawmakers returned to the special session, most of the opposition came from state Democrats, who hold a sizable Senate majority. Budget matters have been especially tense in the Legislature, as Republican Governor Joe Lombardo has sparred for weeks with his counterparts to get the overall state budget passed—that measure has required a special session as well.
“To say I’m extremely disappointed that no work has been done on this bill over the past 10 days is an understatement,” Democratic Senator Rochelle Nguyen told the Nevada Independent on June 7.
Despite the increasing pressure and scrutiny, lawmakers could get no closer to a deal, and the special session adjourned again for the weekend on June 8, meaning that a vote could be another week away, or more.
At the very least, unnamed sources did confirm to the Independent that amendments are finally being made and discussions are taking place.
One issue that was discussed was the team’s exemption from the state’s Live Entertainment Tax. Per state law, large live entertainment facilities must charge a 9 percent tax on admissions, but professional teams playing home games in Nevada—including the Las Vegas Raiders, Golden Knights, Aces and potentially the A’s—are exempt from the tax.
State Senator Fabian Doñate argued that the team’s games should indeed fall under the tax, given that MLB franchises play at least 81 home games per year, far more than any other sport (for reference, NFL teams play only 8 and NBA/WNBA teams play 41).
Others wanted to see more community contribution clauses for the team, especially after the way that its Oakland exit panned out in a very ugly, public fashion.
