BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) – Plans to construct a new expo hall in Brown County are moving forward now that the necessary funding has been approved.
The county board voted Wednesday to use excess room tax funds from seven of its municipalities to largely cover a replacement for the Brown County Arena.
With all of the funding mechanisms in place to complete nine major county projects, including the new expo hall, Deputy Executive Jeff Flynt describes the next step.
“We have to notify the Wisconsin Department of Revenue that we will enact the half-percent sales tax on January 1, 2018.”
The temporary, 72-month sales tax will cover part of the new $93,000,000 expo hall and the eight other projects, which include expanding the county jail and completing various road and bridge repairs.
Flynt says it’s time to put things into motion.
“The real work begins now. A lot of the departments have to put together not only their capital improvement plans and be able to place those projects in their annual budget, but also develop timelines for when they want something built.”
Flynt notes the goal is to have construction on the new 120,000 square foot expo hall ‘significantly underway’ by the 2020 construction season.
“Possibly start looking at (getting) requests for proposals and getting the architectural design study done in 2019.”
The nine projects are expected to cost $225,000,000.
