$56M Minor League Baseball Stadium May Be Losing Deal For Rosemont

$56M Minor League Baseball Stadium May Be Losing Deal For Rosemont

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

The financing model Rosemont is using has never generated enough new property-tax money for other towns to pay back their bonds, according to Nola Agha, a University of San Francisco professor who studies the financial impact of minor-league baseball stadiums. Also, she says, teams themselves aren’t a big tax base. However, Rosemont may be in a better position than other towns to absorb a loss. The village has only about 4,000 residents, but lots of airport hotels and related businesses paying local taxes. Mayor Brad Stephens recently accepted a 53 percent raise. He earns more money than Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.