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State Representative Paul Anderson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4317
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
News From Representative Anderson - Vikings Stadium Update
Interest in the Vikings and their stadium issue is a hot topic right now here in St. Paul. There was movement this week but none of it was positive in terms of moving forward. With no solid financing plan in place, the Governor announced that he wouldn't call a special session in November. That's really not surprising since there should be something in place before a special session is called.
The other development was that the sales tax option for Ramsey County was taken off the table. That was a bit surprising, coming at this late date, and leaves a gaping hole in the funding plan. The county had committed to paying roughly 1/3 of the stadium's cost, but their ability to do that has been lost. It would appear now that if anything is to be done, the state would have to pick up that cost, as well. It may mean that Minneapolis is back in the picture, but nothing firm has developed for that location, either.
A bi-partisan group of legislators met last night in an effort to come up with a plan to get the stadium done. It appears, especially with the county's piece of the funding puzzle gone, some sort of gaming revenue is necessary to put this back together again. The three areas talked about are the Racino concept at Canterbury Downs, electronic pull-tabs for charitable gambling, and the Block E casino in downtown Minneapolis.
It's my feeling that if a stadium deal isn't reached, the Vikings will eventually leave Minnesota. I remind those who don't care about sports or football that professional sports is a business, and in the case of the Vikings, they contributed around $21 million in state revenue for 2009. The income tax alone for the players and staff is between 12 and 13 million, in addition to another one million in income tax collected from opposing teams when they play here.
It's coming right down to the wire. The team's lease expires January 1st, the day of their last regular season game. However, if there is movement toward reaching an agreement, I think the team would wait to see if it could be finalized early next year during the regular session. The next couple of weeks will be key in terms of putting together a funding package that works, and one that can garner the necessary votes to pass out of the Legislature.
Sincerely,
Paul
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