Viking stadium referendum to be considered - Ingles

The Ramsey County Charter Commission is meeting Wednesday night to discuss sports-facilities related issues, a discussion driven by the Minnesota Vikings' drive for a new stadium in Arden Hills.

The key question is whether a countywide referendum should be required before a sales tax is levied for a stadium.

Andy Cilek, president of the Minnesota Voters Alliance, wants the voters' voices heard on the tax issue. "I'm concerned they're going to move forward without letting the voters vote on it," he said.

Gov. Mark Dayton said Tuesday that he's neutral on whether Ramsey County voters should get to decide on a sales-tax increase for the proposed $1.1 billion stadium. He said he just wants to make progress on building the team a stadium.

And Dayton dangled the possibility of calling a special legislative session to address the stadium issue in November.

"I don't have a problem with [a referendum], but I'm not advocating it," Dayton said. "I want to get this stadium project done."

The governor's comments clarified remarks from Monday at the State Fair where he said he would support a referendum. Dayton said those comments were twisted.

"I'm not supporting it, per se. I'm not opposed to it. If they pass legislation and the Legislature goes along with it, I'll support it," he said of the referendum.

The proposal would not go on the ballot until 2012, and the Vikings want the issues resolved sooner. They say they have waited in line while others got new stadiums and now it's their turn.

The referendum question is critical because Ramsey County voters likely would reject a sales-tax increase. St. Paul voters, who make up more than half the county, soundly rejected a sales tax proposal to build a Twins stadium in 1999.

Dayton revealed that he has set an Oct. 15 deadline for a review he ordered of the Arden Hills proposal. The timeline would make a special session in October a tight call, but Dayton said November was possible.

The governor said it makes sense to get a deal done before the 2012 regular session because, as with most big issues, the stadium would be pushed off until the final days in April. He has noted before that 2012 also is an election year, which typically makes it harder to pass controversial issues.

No 'Plan B' yet

Ramsey County has a tentative agreement with the Vikings to build a $1.1 billion stadium on a former munitions site in Arden Hills. The deal includes a half-cent sales tax increase for Ramsey County to pay $350 million and a variety of user fees to finance the state's $300 million share.

Speaking Tuesday at a St. Paul Rotary luncheon, Ramsey County Commissioner Tony Bennett, who has helped spearhead the stadium drive, said he opposes a referendum because the voters wouldn't agree to a tax increase for anything "in this environment."

Vikings owner Zygi Wilf, who also spoke at the luncheon, pointed out that the legislation approving Target Field for the Twins specifically rejected a Hennepin County sales-tax referendum.

"We would like to be held on the same playing field as the Twins," Wilf said to reporters after the lunch.

Wilf reiterated that he wants the issue "to be heard as soon as possible" and that moving to Arden Hills is "Plan A." He said he didn't yet have a "Plan B."

The Ramsey County plan for a stadium on the Arden Hills site is undergoing a Dayton-ordered analysis by Metropolitan Council chair Susan Haigh and Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission chair Ted Mondale. They are assessing the deal's viability on everything from environmental and financial matters to roads and traffic.

The governor said the stadium is a "huge project" and a "huge financial commitment" and it "should be vetted."

Asked about the prospect of a referendum spiking the deal, Dayton said, "Anything could kill the project. ... This thing is a work in progress. ... Nobody's said at any point it's already a done deal."

Touched by the Vikings

At the luncheon, Wilf began by saying, "How many of you have been touched to your fiber by the Minnesota Vikings?"

When roughly half the audience of more than 100, mostly men well into middle age, raised their hands, Wilf said: "Extraordinary."

Audience members asked whether the stadium would have a roof and who would develop nearby land. Bennett said it would have a fixed or a retractable roof. Wilf said that within five to 10 years, surrounding land could be sold or leased to "national chains" and local developers for mixed-use projects.

The legislative sponsors of the stadium bill didn't return calls, but Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul, said a referendum would be in line with state law. The Twins, she said, were the exception. She noted the Twins deal included a 0.15 percent sales tax increase while the Vikings deal would be a 0.5 percent increase.

"When we're borrowing money to pay for education and health care, I don't think anyone would argue the Vikings should go to the top of the list," she said. "We didn't give anyone newcash." This article was written by Rochelle Olson and appeared in The Minneapolis Star Tribune.