GREEN BAY (NBC26) — Green Bay city council members said they had healthy conversations Tuesday night about lease negotiations over Lambeau Field.
- City council members met in a closed session Tuesday night to discuss the next steps in a lease agreement.
- The Packers' latest deal is still on the table. In October, the city released a statement saying the proposal is a 'positive step'.
- City council president Brian Johnson could not comment further on what happened at the closed session but said conversations between the city, the Packers, and the stadium district board will continue.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
On Wednesday, Green Bay City Council president Brian Johnson said the council is 'optimistic' they can reach a new lease agreement soon.
During Tuesday's city council meeting, the council met in a closed session for more than 1.5 hours to discuss the next steps in lease negotiations.
The city owns the stadium and the current lease runs until 2032.
With long-term stadium improvements on the horizon, the Packers are looking to secure a new deal with the city. However, both sides have not seen eye-to-eye yet.
The Packers' latest proposalincludes the team investing $1.5 billion towards stadium improvements without taxpayer support.
They also agree to pay increased rent each year.
In October, the city released a statementsaying the Packers' latest proposal is a 'positive step'. Initially, the city said it did not feel earlier proposals were fair to taxpayers.
"We're optimistic. We want to see a deal come together just as much as the next person, we just want to make sure all the conversations we are having are rooted in fairness and we'll continue to have that dialogue and hopefully, we get to something soon when the time is right," Johnson said.
In October, the Packers said the deal on the table is "arguably the most taxpayer-friendly in all of sports."
Johnson says he could not comment any further on what happened at last night's closed session, but he said for now, conversations between the city, the Packers, and Stadium District Board will continue.
