The Arizona House of Representatives voted to approve House Bill 2704, the legislation that would recapture sales taxes from Chase Field and reinvest them into ballpark renovations, on Monday with a 35-20 vote.
There is one hurdle remaining for the bill, as it heads to Gov. Katie Hobbs’ desk to either sign into law or veto. It does not appear to be much of an obstacle, as Hobbs has been publicly supportive of the effort.
“I’m thrilled that the legislature has passed a bill that will keep the Diamondbacks in Phoenix and create good-paying jobs,” Hobbs wrote on social media after Monday’s vote. “This is a huge win for every Arizonan. I appreciate the bipartisan elected officials and the business and labor leaders who came to the table and worked with my office to make this moment possible.”
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HB 2704 initially passed in the House with a 35-25 vote back on Feb. 26. From there, the legislation went through several amendments during a nearly-four-month stay in the Senate.
The Senate passed the amended bill late on Thursday evening, 19-11. It has received bipartisan support and opposition.
After the Senate vote, Senate president Warren Peterson told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Chris and Joe Show, ”What we currently have is something that the governor’s on board with, it got enough Senate members on it and it has enough House members on it.”
The bill allocates a maximum of $500 million in sales taxes from the stadium and adjacent buildings along with income taxes from select team employees for renovations over the 30 years. The Diamondbacks “intend” to invest $250 million of team money into repairs and upgrades. The funding is not allowed to go toward pool suites, suites and club seating, as it is allocated for infrastructure.
The Diamondbacks have played at Chase Field, which is owned by the Maricopa County Stadium District, since the club debuted in 1998. Their lease at the ballpark expires in 2027, and getting a funding mechanism in place would keep the Diamondbacks in downtown long term.
“Our air conditioning has been an issue. We’re over 25 years old here in the desert,” D-backs president and CEO Derrick Hall told The Mike Broomhead Show on KTAR News 92.3 FM.
“We have an old system that is an ice chill system. It’s not like your your normal HVAC air conditioning system. So we’ve gotta overhaul that. We have a lot of improvements still that need to be made to the roof. We need a new scoreboard right away. We have cement problems … so many things that we have to do right away and we just have to make sure we map it out.”
The amended version of the bill needed another vote of approval from the House of Representatives.
Adopted amendments include:
Income taxes were removed and then redefined. Income taxes come from Diamondbacks players and members of the traveling party. The income tax transmitted to the stadium district fund decreased from 100% to 82%. A $500 million aggregate cap was set in place, which will be adjusted for inflation. Maricopa contributions will match the city of Phoenix. A one-half cent transportation tax with transmit from the county to the district fund. A $3.5 million annual cap from Phoenix, and the city diversion cap increases by 3% annually from 2027-55. Renovations require a two-thirds majority vote from the newly-prescribed Maricopa County Stadium District Board to use monies for infrastructure. The team would face a penalty fines for leaving Chase Field before 2035, 2045 or 2050 with a $10 million penalty for departing before October 2035.The Joint Legislative Budget Committee estimated that the bill would reduce Arizona’s state general fund by $9.2 million annually and the local funds by $5.8 million more.
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