It Took Five Minutes For Clark County Commissioners To Approve A’s Stadium Tax District Tuesday; Nobody Spoke At Tax District Public Hearing
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By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — The pubic hearing and the Clark County Commission discussion took a grand total of five minutes Tuesday morning. It lasted from 10:10 AM to 10:15 AM, less time than Katy Perry’s time in space.
And with that type of public discourse and government review, Clark County is now officially on the hook for $120 million plus interest for a new tax district it created for the MLB Athletics and their planned stadium for the Strip. The money raised in this tax district will pay the debt on $120 million of Clark County bonds.
The county commission’s 7-0 vote to create this sports and entertainment district of nine acres for the A’s stadium was a mere formality. Nevada state lawmakers in 2023 approved a state bill designating $380 million in government assistance to help the A’s build a $1.75 billion domed stadium at the former Tropicana hotel-casino site at Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue.
The stadium bond tax district was such a done deal that the A’s did not have a representative address the county commission about the tax district and nobody from Clark County staff bothered to explain how the tax district worked and the potential risk to the Clark County property owner if the district does not generate enough revenue to pay off the county bond debt.
The $380 million in government aid includes the $120 million from the stadium tax district and another $25 million from Clark County for infrastructure at the stadium. A’s executive Sandy Dean said the MLB team will use $350 million of the $380 million in public aid. The nine acres of the district is the footprint for the planned A’s stadium on the 35-acre site on the Strip.
County Commissioner Jim Gibson, whose district includes the planned A’s stadium, said before the vote, “This has been a long time coming.”
The Las Vegas Stadium Board’s administrative staffer, Ed Finger, was there at the meeting at the county building meeting room. And so was a guy wearing an A’s ballcap in the audience.
The A’s hope to break ground for their palatial stadium in June to commence a building period of 30 to 31 months with the aim of having the stadium with 30,000 seats and space for another 3,000 fans ready to open for the 2028 MLB season.
LVCVA head/stadium board chairman Steve Hill/A’s advocate said the special stadium tax district will allow taxes and charges to be applied to 17 different purchased items from souvenirs to Uber rides.
