MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) - Green Bay state senator Jamie Wall says the Joint Committee on Finance rejected a proposal to reimburse Brown County, City of Green Bay and Village of Ashwaubenon for the costs of public safety during the 2025 NFL Draft.
Republican lawmakers proposed $1.25 million to cover about two-thirds of the costs for increased staffing: Up to $500,000 for Brown County; $675,000 for the City of Green Bay and Green Bay Metro Fire Department; and $75,000 for Ashwaubenon.
Rep. David Steffen (R-Howard) told us in April he felt it was the largest amount his colleagues in the Legislature would be willing to accept.
Wall, a Democrat, says the Republican-led committee rejected the proposal on a party-line vote.
“I am disappointed that my Republican colleagues refused to recognize that our community’s investment in public safety during the NFL Draft benefitted all of Wisconsin,” Wall wrote. “Despite recent public commitments by Representatives [Benjamin] Franklin [R-De Pere] and Steffen, our local property taxpayers are now stuck with the bill. I am incredibly proud of the job our local law enforcement and public safety professionals did during the draft. Our visitors were safe, and our community put on a very successful event with a huge economic impact across the state.”
The NFL Draft attracted 312,000 unique visitors, according to industry-leading analytics firm Placer.ai, for a total of 600,000 people in the draft campus over several days.
It was the largest event the city ever hosted.
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