Jon Styf

Wisconsin & publicly funded sports stadiums everywhere for @thecentersquare. Email jstyf(at)

[Jon Styf @JonStyf]

My best to Rob’s family. He was an excellent co-worker who cared so much about Morris.

[Morris Softball 🥎 @MorrisSoftball2]

Morris Softball is completely devastated to hear about the passing of long-time Morris Daily Herald reporter, Rob Oesterle. Not only was he a fair, supportive reporter, but he was also an amazing person. We will miss him greatly. Sending hugs and prayers to his entire family.

[Jon Styf @JonStyf]

I am interested in the Metra crosstown service proposal where train lines connect to O'Hare (and avoid downtown Chicago) and how that would impact getting to a potential Arlington Heights stadium/district (on UP-NW line) from other parts of the region.

[Jon Styf @JonStyf]

Good analysis here on what the "public ownership" of a new AH Bears stadium (+ sales tax capture in/around stadium) could mean.

[Field of Schemes @fieldofschemes]

Pritzker is trying to position himself as Not The Guy Who Lost The Bears while also as Not The Guy Who Broke The Bank For A Bears Stadium, which is a tough needle to thread when you're talking about handing over $1.5B in property and sales taxes. https://t.co/rSFQrGGYKi

[Jon Styf @JonStyf]

@EFStephenson2 I have never believed they were going to Hammond because the Bears have shown they are interesting in a surrounding development where they get huge tax breaks (while saying it isn't for the stadium) and make daily revenue.

[Johnny Edwards @JohnnyEdwardsX]

GOVERNMENT SURVEILLANCE AND $1 MILLION CHEVY: The Georgia Department of Human Services, which oversees the state's child welfare agency, paid more than $950,000 for just one Chevrolet Traverse.

The department won't explain why. But documents obtained by @thecentersquare show that most of the cost is apparently is for sophisticated spying equipment that will be used by a unit tasked with rescuing sex-trafficked foster teens.

From the records, it appears Georgia's child protective services has bought a cell-site simulator, a powerful surveillance device normally used by law enforcement that mimics a cell phone tower to track and tap into cell phones remotely.

The purchase raises questions about whether the equipment could violate constitutional rights and the department's authority as a child welfare service.

🧵, and story below ⬇️ /1

[Jon Styf @JonStyf]

“That's what happens all the time whenever sports team owners want somebody else to pay for their stadium for them. They start playing leverage games, they start threatening to leave or move, and they try to create this artificial sense of panic” @johnmoz https://t.co/OsdSXD9e7B

[Jon Styf @JonStyf]

Wisconsin Rep. Shae Sortwell was the lone vote against a wide-ranging data center sales tax break when it passed it 2023. Now he wants it to end and thinks that could pass w/ Tom Tiffany's support https://t.co/KSy3eYtrEK

[J.C. Bradbury @jc_bradbury]

Here's the client list of the consultancy who conducted the commissioned "Revenue & Impact Study" of the KC Royals stadium. How many clients would it have if it showed what the actual research evidence has demonstrated for 50 years? This isn't a "study" it's purchased propaganda

[Jon Styf @JonStyf]

The Bears want the revenue/PSLs/naming rights and ownership/revenue from the surrounding development without paying property taxes on the stadium.

[Brenden Moore @brendenmoore13]

@richg780 @DannyEcker Not necessarily. It’d likely be public in name only, allowing them to avoid paying property taxes entirely while still keeping most of the revenue generated from the facility. But of course, it’d all be negotiated with the stadium authority.

[Jon Styf @JonStyf]

@TFroehlig It’s the reason the state has a 12% rule where only 12% of the property can be in a TID. But lawmakers decided to waive that rule in specific cases like Port Washington and Beaver Dam. They tried to pass a blanket data center TID % waiver but that didn’t gain legs.

[Jon Styf @JonStyf]

As Wisconsin Policy showed this week, the largest “job opportunities” are temporary for construction and Wisconsin and its municipalities have conceded a lot of the potential tax revenue. People will see increased projected property taxes near some until the TIDs close

[Sen. Mark Spreitzer @SenSpreitzer]

Finally I attended a session on data centers where first they confirmed that they are not popular and why. More helpful were the ideas for legislation to protect ratepayers, residents, and our natural resources.

[Jon Styf @JonStyf]

@TFroehlig In this case, the municipalities in Wisconsin can add the property value to the tax rolls but the projects in a TID have the increment captured, so any levy increases (have to be done in 5 years or lose it) are handed to the current homeowners/businesses.

[Jon Styf @JonStyf]

Flyover at Medinah first tee before Sunday’s Presidents Cup matches.

[Jon Styf @JonStyf]

Last yr, it took Gov. Evers & the WEDC 9 months to respond to my request for spending records from a trade trip to Europe. The 2 are on the same track for their Africa trip this year https://t.co/t1vZV4147g

[Brooks @EBrooksUncut]

Reminder that the WIAA is not subject to open meetings laws despite being funded almost entirely by taxpayer dollars.

So when decisions like this are made to force a school to forfeit their game after a player *literally died* they’re made behind closed doors without any public oversight.

[Daniel Wallach @WALLACHLEGAL]

NEW: Kalshi petitions 7th Circuit to appeal a Wisconsin federal court ruling that Tribes can assert IGRA claims vs. nonparties to a compact for unauthorized Class 3 gaming on Indian lands and that UIGEA exclusion for DCM trading doesn’t override IGRA as to sports-event contracts.

[Jon Styf @JonStyf]

It’s why the University of Wisconsin system released its economic impact report then wouldn’t say how much Tripp Umbach was paid by its third party fundraising arm to make those claims… because that contract and payment is a bad look when claiming it was some independent report.

[Jon Styf @JonStyf]

“It’s completely made up garbage, and I say that that’s as kindly as I can put it. This is a PR document,” Bradbury said. “You’ve got to grapple with the hundreds of studies that look at the economic benefits of facilities and find none.”

[KATU News @KATUNews]

Mayor Wilson says Portland's proposed $120M contribution to renovate Moda Center will help keep the Blazers in Rip City & offer an economic boost.
But a sports economist who studies publicly-funded venues says taxpayers likely won't recover the investment. https://t.co/2RIZQ7NhCH

[Jon Styf @JonStyf]

But every time one of these is released related to a sports event, stadium, special event or film tax credit… you will find a load of stories that take them at their word without any questions to the validity. That is why those companies exist.