LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As lawmakers weigh the pros and cons of Senate Bill 509, Las Vegas residents and local stakeholders are weighing in.
A Nevada Legislature website poll shows nearly 80 percent of people who voted are not in favor of SB 509 and 20 percent support it.
Among those in favor are The Governor’s Office of Economic Development, The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, and several Las Vegas-based unions.
"We need to continue to invest in world class infrastructure projects that will ensure we are staying ahead of our competitors. We will be setting new entertainment experiences and standards that will be unmatched anywhere else in the world,” said Mary Beth Sewald, President of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.
“The proposed construction of a baseball stadium in southern Nevada will not only give our economy the diversification it needs, but also ensure that our brothers and sisters in the building and construction trades are given good contracts and are paid the prevailing wage that they deserve,” said Susie Martinez, Principal Officer of the Nevada State AFL-CIO.
Most of the disagreement comes down to the price tag and who is tasked with paying it.
Tax payers like Lisa Lee are okay with a new stadium as long as she’s not paying the tab.
"I think that should be paid for through bonds, private funding, fundraising of some sort, but not from taxpayers dollars,” she said.
The Nevada Policy Research Institute, Battle Born Progress, and several education associations are also in opposition to SB 509.
“Why can't a billionaire do this on his own if it's so innovative? And as we've heard tonight, why can't we simply fund a 20 percent raise from the state level for our educators in Nevada,” said Alexander Marks, Director of Strategy for the Nevada State Education Association.
"This deal will leave taxpayers on the hook because, as you heard, there is no new revenue to back these bonds. I don't care how anyone tries to spin this. The A's are averaging about 8,000 people each game. That's almost equivalent to what the Aviators are getting per game right now," said Annette Magnus, Executive Director of Battle Born Progress.
