Taxpayers are getting a break in Brown County as the long-standing Lambeau Field sales tax ends on Wednesday.
For nearly 15 years, an extra half cent has been added to the sales tax to pay for improvements to Lambeau Field. Voters approved the extra half cent sales tax in 2000, and it’s generated more than $300 million.
St. Norbert College economist Kevin Quinn said that tax collections remained strong over the years, even weathering the recession. He said the Stadium District Board managed the money conservatively and the tax was generally good for the community. Quinn said that’s not normally the case with taxpayer support of pro sports teams.
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“A $300 or $400 million entity here actually does move the needle as opposed to Los Angeles, Chicago or New York. The other reason is that so much of the money that’s spent on the team comes from outside of Brown County,” he said.
About $17 million is left over from tax collections. There’s a push to have that money distributed back to the county and its municipalities.
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