5-808. Major league baseball spring training facilities; local financial participation

A. From monies in the cactus league promotion account established by section 5-837, the authority may:

1. Acquire land or construct, finance, furnish, improve, market or promote the use of existing or proposed major league baseball spring training facilities that are located in the authority and other structures, utilities, roads, parking areas or buildings necessary for full use of the training facilities for sports and other purposes.

2. Do all things necessary or convenient to accomplish those purposes.

B. Monies in the cactus league promotion account:

1. May be used for the purposes of:

(a) Attracting major league baseball spring training operations to locations in the authority.

(b) Retaining major league baseball spring training operations in their current locations in the authority.

2. Shall not be used to facilitate the relocation of a major league baseball spring training operation from one location in this state to another location in this state unless either:

(a) Another major league baseball team has made contractual commitments to assure the relocation of its spring training operations from a location outside this state to the vacated facility.

(b) The relocation is to a facility located in the authority from another facility in this state that was shared with another major league baseball team.

C. The board shall require that any project undertaken pursuant to this section include financial participation from the county or municipality in which the project is located, from a private party or from any combination of these entities that equals or exceeds one-half of the amount to be spent or distributed by the authority. Capital improvement monies spent by a county, municipality or private party for a purpose authorized by this section may be considered to be financial participation with respect to any project the authority may undertake.

D. For purposes of financing, designing or constructing facilities or structures, the authority is not the agent of any other party participating in the funding of the facility or structure.

E. Before undertaking the planning or construction of the first new facility under this section, the board may consider the costs of anticipated required renovations of existing facilities and shall consider such costs for subsequent new facilities.