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Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Yes.

Legislation to provide $546 million in public money for American Family Field improvements in Milwaukee would remove all local government appointees to the stadium’s board of directors.

The Wisconsin Assembly is scheduled to vote Oct. 17, 2023, on the Republican-led bill.

The state would contribute $411 million and the city and county of Milwaukee a total of $135 million. The Milwaukee Brewers would contribute $100 million.

The state-created Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District, composed of Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Washington and Waukesha counties, owns 64% and the Brewers 36% of the stadium.

The 13-member stadium district board includes six appointees by the governor; two by the Milwaukee County executive; one each by the leaders of the four other counties; and one by the Milwaukee mayor.

The bill would change the board to nine members. The governor would appoint five; the Senate majority leader and the Assembly speaker would appoint two each.

This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Wisconsin State Legislature: Assembly Calendar

Wisconsin State Legislature: AB438: Bill Text

AP News: Republicans tweak Brewers stadium repair plan to cut the total public contribution by $54 million

wibaseballdistrict.com: Financial statements

Wisconsin State Legislature: Local Professional Sports Facilities Financing

wibaseballdistrict.com: Board of directors

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Tom Kertscher joined as a Wisconsin Watch fact checker in January 2023 and contributes to our collaboration with the The Gigafact Project to fight misinformation online. Kertscher is a former longtime newspaper reporter, including at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, who has worked as a self-employed journalist since 2019. His gigs include contributing writer for Milwaukee Magazine and sports freelancer for The Associated Press.