A’s MLB relocation vote could occur as soon as June
The Oakland Athletics’ Las Vegas relocation could be approved by Major League Baseball as soon as next month, well ahead of the previous deadline of December 2023.
If the A’s ballpark funding deal is passed through the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Joe Lombardo, MLB owners could vote in June on the team’s planned move to Southern Nevada, according to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.
The MLB owners’ meeting, where the vote could take place, will be held June 13-15 in New York.
Manfred, speaking to reporters in Milwaukee on Friday, also noted that the A’s are focused on the Tropicana site and that he is hopeful plans to construct a $1.5 billion, 30,000-seat, retractable-roof stadium there come to fruition.
A person with knowledge of the A’s stadium dealings confirmed the A’s are not considering other sites.
This week Lombardo announced that state and Clark County leaders reached a tentative agreement with the A’s that could lead to their relocation from Oakland to Las Vegas. The A’s stadium funding bill could be introduced as soon as this week. The ongoing feud between Lombardo and legislative Democrats over the state budget has delayed the bill’s introduction.
If approved, a sports and entertainment improvement district would be set up around the stadium site. Taxes generated by the stadium would repay bonds issued to fund the ballpark’s construction.
That agreement includes up to $380 million in public financing, including $180 million from the state and $145 million from Clark County. Of those amounts, $90 million of the state’s contribution would be repaid via tax revenues generated on the ballpark site, while $120 million of the county’s portion would be paid by the tax district.
The other $25 million from the county would go toward infrastructure upgrades in and around the ballpark site.
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.
