Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego believes the city and the Arizona Diamondbacks are closing in on a Chase Field renovation bill that will be “more fiscally responsible.”
“I very much want the Diamondbacks to stay in downtown Phoenix and thrive. I’d like a World Series while I’m dreaming,” Gallego told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Wednesday. “The original legislation was deeply troubling to me. I believe strongly we have a lot of needs right now, and to take money from uses like the Phoenix Fire Department to fund the Diamondbacks, we really needed some caps and constraints, and to recognize we have a lot of priorities.
“I think we are close to a more fiscally responsible bill that has more controls in it. I’m hopeful that before the legislation leaves, we can have a bill that keeps the Diamondbacks in place but has more transparency about public dollars and more accountability.”
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Gallego’s comments on the D-backs’ HB2704 bill come as budget negotiations are underway.
Arizona’s Legislature and Gov. Katie Hobbs must pass a new budget by July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.
Last month, D-backs president and CEO Derrick Hall told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta that the team was “maybe on the 5-yard line” on getting the renovation deal done and all parties were coming together to get on the same page.
What is the proposed Chase Field renovation bill the Diamondbacks are pushing for?
HB2704 focuses on reinvesting sales tax collected at Chase Field back into the ballpark.
It passed through the House on Feb. 26, though has had a slow roll getting through the Senate as amendments have been made.
Among them are capping public contributions and removing income taxes being diverted back into Chase Field. Sales tax revenue from outside of the ballpark’s walls has also seen pushback.
Despite the back-and-forth between the city and Diamondbacks over the bill, Arizona Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Danny Seiden believes the “everything is heading in the right direction.”
“(Gallego) wants the Diamondbacks here and I think she’s said as much. I think her concern is always going to be her city’s revenues and that’s fair,” Seiden told The Mike Broomhead Show on Wednesday. “She’s being a very good mayor when she talks about that. … I believe we’re getting there. Everything is heading in the right direction and she’s just making however we fund the stadium a little bit better for her city. And that’s something we can agree on.”
And while Seiden believes the bill will get through budget negotiations, he wants people to remain loud on the subject.
“People need to stay focused on it as the budget comes in and people are fighting for their different things and you kind of have these different philosophies,” he said. “I think, again, it’ll get settled out, but it’s important to stay loud for the Diamondbacks.
“It’s important right now to back the D-backs, reminding everyone that this is a public asset. It’s not going to a billionaire. We’re trying to keep it here and get the improvements done here. It’s still going to happen. It’s going to happen within the budget, and we’re going to work really hard on it. Derrick Hall is on it every day.”
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