Brown County residents could soon see a sales tax to pay for a new Expo Hall.
Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach proposed the temporary, half-cent sales tax Tuesday during his State of the County Address.
The sales tax would fill a funding gap in the project to build a new venue that would replace the Brown County Arena, Streckenbach said. He wants to use the existing Room Tax to fund the project, but it is not completely available until 2029.
To fund an approximate $15 million funding gap, he proposed a temporary 72-month sales tax.
"A new Expo Hall will tie Green Bay's Legends District and Ashwaubenon's Titletown District together creating an economic development corridor for the greater Lombardi Avenue area," said Streckenbach.
A new, $93 million expanded Expo Hall is projected to bring in roughly $120 million in revenues to the area over 10 years.
"From my standpoint, this is an investment in our community," Streckenbach said. "It's an investment in our long term success, and it makes us a regional powerhouse which we ought to be when we're the third largest city and the fourth largest county."
