Arlington Secures Cowboys Stadium Upgrades

0:00It's April 22nd. I'm Cory with the story, and this is Dallas News today. Local news powered by AI. Arlington just locked in the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium through at least 2055. City Council approved the lease extension and Greenlit $273 million from existing venue taxes to reimburse the team for. Upgrades. This keeps the squad in town long term without needing fresh voters sign off. Back in 2004, 55% of voters okayed those taxes, a half-sent sales bump, hotel and rental car hikes, plus stadium parking, and ticket fees to build and maintain the place. Mayor Jim Ross says that OVOP covers this too with reimbursements kicking in 2028 over the next 20 years. The Cowboys front the cash first for stuff like security and safety boost. Plenty of pushback though. Some residents and council folks like council members Hogg and Hunter argued tax payers shouldn't put any bill for them. World's priciest sports brand.

1:03They wanted another public vote calling it our money at stake. Supporters fired back that the team's worth it, pumping 324 million bucks yearly into the local economy. The city owns the stadium outright and they just paid off the original $490 million debt, a decade early thanks to tax. Winfalls. Cowboys committedly $750 million to these improvements themselves way more than the reimbursement. This deal submits Arlington's sports hub status, balancing fan love with smart city investments they keep the revenue flowing.