Doug Belden, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn. –
The original Vikings stadium bill will get a vote on the floor of the Minnesota House on Monday, Speaker Kurt Zellers said Thursday, May 3.
Zellers’ announcement came just after House Majority Leader Matt Dean, R-Dellwood, announced he was pulling his alternative plan – which would have funded stadium infrastructure only – because of problems financing such a project through state bonding.
Zellers said he and other GOP leaders felt they had a deal with Gov. Mark Dayton on taxes and bonding last week, and that as part of that, the understanding was the stadium would get a floor vote.
But that deal fell apart, and it’s time to schedule the stadium vote without regard to whether Dayton will yield on the tax and bonding issues, Zellers said.
He said Dayton would be responsible for rounding up votes to get the stadium bill passed.
Senate Majority Leader Dave Senjem said that a latest GOP stadium proposal ran into complications over using state borrowing to pay for a stadium.
He joined Zellers later Thursday to say that while unsure whether the votes are there to pass it, the original Vikings plan would be voted on.
The plan calls for a $975 million stadium in downtown Minneapolis.
The dropped GOP plan put the state’s financial commitment at $250 million, with additional contribution for a roof unknown. Minneapolis’ contribution would have remained at $150 million. The Vikings, though, said they would contribute no more than the $427 million offered
in the original plan.
Under the original plan, the state would chip in $398 million, relying on taxes from new forms of electronic pulltabs for charitable gambling. It passed through committees in the House and Senate and awaits action on both chamber floors.
The sudden move to change the stadium project this week was met with angry words from Gov. Mark Dayton, who at first called the plan “harebrained” and later said it was “worth pursuing.” Yet he still was calling for a vote on the earlier version.
Saying the Metrodome is outdated, the Vikings are hoping for a new 65,000-seat stadium. The current plan is building on the site of the Metrodome and in time for the 2016 season.