TUCSON, Ariz.—Casa Grande officials are hoping voters hit one out and approve a tax increase to fund a spring training complex, possibly for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.
If approved, the nine-tenths of a cent tax would fund a 10,000 seat, publicly owned stadium along with practice fields that would also be used for youth and community events.
The city council passed a motion for the May vote on Monday.
The Mayor of Casa Grande says he hasn’t yet held talks with either major league team.
“Certainly, everybody is a possibility. I have not had discussions with either one of those teams,” Casa Grande mayor Bob Jackson said about the D-backs and Rockies.
Jackson added that any team in Arizona or Florida that wants to move is a possibility.
If voters pass the tax, it would be implemented after at least one team signs a long-term agreement with the city. If that does not happen after 10 years, the levy would expire.
Casa Grande was prepared to act quickly if voters give their approval and a team shows interest, Jackson said.
“If they approve it, that financing structure is in place, and if a team becomes available, we’ll be in a position to put together a package to try to entice them here,” the mayor said.
The Rockies’ lease at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson expires Dec. 31, 2011, while the D-backs’ agreement at Tucson Electric Park ends in 2012.
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Information from: Arizona Daily Star,
