The Superdome is hoping to complete a 450 million dollar renovation before the 2024 Superbowl, but questions abound about who is going to pay for it, and that sparked an animated discussion in Senate Finance today.
LSED Commissioner Hillary Landry says the renovation will spur more intrastate commerce.
“More people travel form the north of the state to the south to spend their hard earned dollars, thereby generating revenues that are sometimes incalculable.”
But Metairie Senator Conrad Appel says a strong majority of economists agree that providing state and local subsidies to build stadiums for professional sports teams costs taxpayers more than any economic benefits that are generated. Appel says there’s better ways to spend a few hundred million dollars.
“We can’t afford to fix our schools, we can’t afford to send kids to school, the power goes out, you can’t drive the streets unless you have a tank, but we’re talking about spending half a billion dollars on the Superdome.”
The Saints have agreed to pay for a third of the cost of the renovation.
Baton Rouge Senator Bodi White says there’s just not enough information available right now to make an informed decision about whether or not the state should fork over the cash for this sought-after renovation.
“At least look at the other states in the south, we always compare ourselves to the southern regional average, so you can compare them, and see what other states are getting back.”
New Orleans Senator Wesley Bishop, whose district includes the Superdome, says lawmakers from outside of the Crescent City may be undervaluing just how important the structure is.
“I really do not want us to minimize the value that not just the Superdome, but the Saints and the whole New Orleans professional franchise, what it does to New Orleans not just being a national city, but an international city.”
The debate over financing will likely take shape in full before the next legislative session.
