Milwaukee County To Hold Hearing On Bucks Arena Plan

The city of Milwaukee will hold a hearing on the proposed financing package for a new Milwaukee Bucks arena next month.

Under the plan, half the cost of of building the arena, $250 million, would come from public financing. The city wants to to chip in $47 million to go along with contributions from the county and state.

State lawmakers are currently divided over the plan, and minority Democrats like Sen. Chris Larson want in on negotiations.

“So we want to find a way for the Bucks to stay. That is priority number one. Beyond that, it’s a question of what the deal is. Now the deal that’s out there right now, the language has not been shared publicly, and has not been shared with us,” he said.

Larson was one of three Milwaukee lawmakers who sent a letter Thursday to top Republicans saying they want to be part of negotiations.

“If they pull it out (of the budget), the current deal is dead. The current deal will have failed, and they’ll have to start over to some extent. So I think it’s important to get a clear pulse of what people are thinking,” said Larson.

Milwaukee County has held a public hearing on a proposed new arena for the Bucks. The city’s hearing will be on July 2.