It was deadline day for local governments hoping to host a new Vikings stadium. Gov. Dayton will have some weekend reading material as he pores over the details of proposals from Ramsey County, Minneapolis, and Shakopee. He’s expected to pick a favorite before the Legislature convenes on Jan. 24.
If the team ends up in Minneapolis, the city says it will kick in $6.5 million per year starting in 2016, according to MinnPost. The money would come from the city’s existing half-cent sales tax, a 3 percent downtown entertainment/liquor tax, and a 2.65 percent tax on lodging. Or the other possibility: revenue from a casino in Block E.
Minneapolis may have an internal problem, though, as political leaders apparently still can’t agree on the city’s best stadium location. KSTP reports Mayor R.T. Rybak may lack the city council votes to back the Metrodome site.
Ramsey County meanwhile has hiked its contribution to an Arden Hills site by another $75 million, for a total of $375 million, which the county would raise through bonds and pay for through food, beverage and liquor taxes. The Star Tribune has more on the particulars.
Shakopee was a surprise late entry in the stadium competition when the city announced its bid. The Pioneer Press reports it would raise stadium money by expanding gambling.
As for the Vikings, they’re sticking with their position that the Arden Hills site is ideal. But a team executive calls Minneapolis “workable” and won’t rule out Shakopee.
KFAN gives us this handy guide to the proposals on the table. Also check out Minnesota Public Radio’s FAQ here.
MinnPost’s Doug Grow asks what the words “deadline” and “final proposal” really mean. He points out Brad Tabke has been mayor of Shakopee for all of one week and might have a slightly stronger proposal than either Minneapolis or Arden Hills.
Meanwhile, a group that wants to stop the team from building a stadium in Ramsey County says it has about 2,000 signatures so far, or about 10 percent of what it needs to put an amendment before voters in November. Politics in Minnesota says the No Stadium Tax Coalition has until July to collect about 15,000 signatures.
