DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: Dec 30, 2012 11:09:12 PM
goldieolds wonders "will we be able to stop paying the additional Hennepin County sales tax when it is paid off?"
Yes.
[quote]
For taxpayers, an early payoff would mean an early end to the sales tax.
"We're not in love with having a tax on for as long as we can have it," said Hennepin County Board Chairman Mike Opat. "When there's the money, we pay down the debt."
[unquote]
|
goldieolds
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:8,383
Points:1,331,895
Joined:Sep 2007
|
Message Posted: Dec 30, 2012 9:07:50 PM
I don't know one corporate named stadium from another. But Twins field, Vikings stadium, I would be able to keep straight.
Anyway, I'm assuming that "Target Field" is the stadium where the Twins play, will we be able to stop paying the additional Hennepin County sales tax when it is paid off?
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: Dec 30, 2012 11:37:22 AM
Hennepin County taxpayers on track to pay ballpark off early
[quote]
Unlike the home team, Hennepin County's financing plan for Target Field is exceeding expectations.
Taking advantage of a stable revenue stream and low interest rates, the county has prepaid $31.3 million of variable-rate debt on the downtown ballpark, including an $11.4 million payment made earlier this month.
"The bottom line is promises made, promises kept," Minnesota Ballpark Authority executive director Dan Kenney said Friday. "We said this deal would work, and it has."
The excess payments made so far will save the county $53.7 million in interest expenses.
[unquote]
|
nru
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:1,950
Points:1,010,795
Joined:Feb 2006
|
Message Posted: Dec 3, 2012 1:08:34 PM
DI - I live in Minneapolis, do things that have sales tax attached to them, and so my money will go to these vampires - I either have to move, stop doing many things, or suck it up. So I am going to get to subsidize billionaires just because I "need" to. We should put up some additional funds for the orchestra and SPCO if we are going to do these things - just give them 50% of what we give these people, and I would be happy and the tickets would then be free forever. Wilfs are a huge income redistribution - bunch of commie crap
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: Dec 2, 2012 6:31:40 PM
I hope you didn't go out of your way, Woe, since there is no Minnesota local sales tax on motor vehicle sales.
- Minnesota Revenue - Motor Vehicles Sales Tax Fact Sheet
[Edited by: DI at 12/2/2012 7:33:45 PM EST]
|
Woe
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:15,822
Points:2,768,025
Joined:Apr 2005
|
Message Posted: Dec 2, 2012 6:06:50 PM
I bought my last 2 cars outside of Hennepin county and avoided the Twins stadium tax!
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: Dec 2, 2012 1:35:05 PM
nru wonders "why I need to subsidize billionaires"
I believe if you don't buy electronic pull-tabs or do anything in Mpls. that requires the payment of Minn. sales tax, you are not funding the Metrodome replacement or the associated Target Center activities.
|
nru
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:1,950
Points:1,010,795
Joined:Feb 2006
|
Message Posted: Dec 2, 2012 10:46:41 AM
I still want to know why I need to subsidize billionaires
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: Dec 2, 2012 12:21:00 AM
Cost disputes delay Target Center deal
[quote]
Six months after the Vikings stadium deal paved the way for a public-private renovation of Target Center, the city of Minneapolis and the Timberwolves haven't agreed on how much money the team will contribute to the aging arena.
The implementation committee for what may be a $100 million renovation of Target Center has already met twice. But the city's lead official on the project, Jeremy Hanson Willis, expressed frustration this week that a deal hadn't been inked. ...
The Timberwolves contend that's because the city delayed the process by unexpectedly boosting the private share of the renovation cost from one-third to one-half. That money will come from the team and operating company AEG. The city's publicly stated cost for the project recently fell from $150 million to $100 million, though the Timberwolves haven't agreed to the latter figure. ...
Ted Johnson, a senior vice president of the Timberwolves, declined to say where the team's contribution stands, or what the team thinks the arena upgrade will cost. But the team has recently put forward a new funding framework that includes a 50/50 split, he said. ...
The city has already entered into a $20,000 consulting contract with AECOM, a deal that also includes Mortenson Construction. A timeline, distributed by Mortenson at Tuesday's meeting, projects that construction will begin May 10, 2013.
Hanson Willis said while much of the discussion centers on the total cost of the project, there's also no agreement between the Timberwolves and AEG about how they will divide the private expenses. ...
By contrast, the Vikings stadium implementation committee did not start meeting until the payment structure had been settled.
The renovations are needed to improve many facets of the 22-year-old Target Center, which lacks the amenities of its peers in the metro area and the NBA. Behind-the-scenes improvements are also necessary, such as adding loading bays, freight elevators and storage space for bleachers.
AEG's Steve Mattson said he would defer to the city on how to characterize the process, but said he believes the pace has been reasonable. AEG's role is slightly different from the Timberwolves', since the city has hired it to manage the building.
The public portion of the project will be paid with the same funding stream as the city's contribution to the Vikings stadium: sales taxes. Those dollars currently pay debt on the city's convention center, but money will be freed up when the facility's bonds are paid in 2020.
[unquote]
|
GopherFan
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:19,951
Points:3,217,365
Joined:Feb 2004
|
Message Posted: Nov 14, 2012 5:49:10 PM
In response to DI's comment "So it was the Vikings survey, not Gov. Dayton that brought the issue up" - my guess is the Vikings survey triggered the discussion in that season ticket owners probably contacted TV stations, their legislator, the Governor's office etc. But you are correct - Dayton is reacting to input/pressure from some source.
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 10:30:12 PM
Elsewhere, DriverDave writes “Dayton's simply resorting to... wait for it... rhetoric. Aka - What he does best! He's a one-trick pony (although I'd use another word for "donkey" myself). Funny how he comes out against something (in the bill HE SIGNED) now, after the elections, when he is confident he can basically do whatever he wants for the next two year with a complicit, rubber-stamp, DFL-controlled Legislature.”
First, Gov. Dayton will have to pull off something pretty spectacular to get the DFL to rubber-stamp any stadium legislation, which is historically _not_ along party lines. See Minnesota House Vikings stadium votes: “DFL went 40-20 pro; GOP went 33-48 anti”. That doesn’t strike me as anything close to a party-line vote.
Second, GopherFan reported “I was surprised when I got a survey from the Vikings which had questions addressing seat licensing.” So it was the Vikings survey, not Gov. Dayton that brought the issue up.
I could certainly envision a scenario where the Vikings (with their army of lobbyists) would say “Gee, we’d really like to include a [fill in the blank with “retractable roof” or whatever] but we can’t afford that with our $477M contribution. Now, if we had the ability to sell seat licenses, we might be able to swing it.”
And, BTW, Sudb. 14 doesn't say how the revenue is credited. It says the "authority shall own and retain the exclusive right to sell stadium builder's licenses in the stadium" and "will retain the NFL team to act as the authority's agent in marketing and selling such licenses."
|
Bungee
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:9,715
Points:2,026,965
Joined:Oct 2002
|
Message Posted: Oct 22, 2012 5:21:26 PM
I saw the same article DI. The amount paid out in winners seems unusually high. Based on the minimal knowledge I have about pulltabs I figure the payout would be somewhere around 75% of sales, as a typical box of pulltabs (the paper variety) has close to 3,200 and usually has about $2,400 in winners.
The numbers in the article indicate a payback of about 85%. Maybe people have been luckier than average or maybe the payback has been able to be increased?
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: Oct 22, 2012 5:10:27 AM
Pulltabs (without the paper) take off: $642,000 in first month
I wasn't aware of the exact mechanics of how money would be funneled to the new stadium authority:
[quote]
Taxes from electronic games, overseen by Minnesota's charitable gambling groups, are expected to generate $350 million in funding for the new Vikings stadium in the years ahead. But don't count on any construction cash yet.
From the $642,000 in game sales, all but $99,000 was returned to players as wins, Barrett said. And that money is divided among the site hosting the games, the charity, the games distributor and state taxes.
But even the tax money doesn't go directly to the stadium. Under the law, only state tax dollars above and beyond the $37 million paid by charities in 2011 will subsidize football.
[unquote]
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: Sep 19, 2012 2:25:07 PM
Vikings stadium electronic pull-tabs make their first appearance in Twin Cities bars (w/ video):
[quote]
St. Paul bar owner Dan O'Gara and his father fought for years to get electronic gambling in Minnesota. During a happy hour filled with more media than customers Tuesday, Sept. 18, their Snelling Avenue bar became the first in the city to offer iPad-based pull-tabs to help pay for a new Minnesota Vikings stadium. ...
On Tuesday, the state's gambling control board approved five pull-tab games, played on iPads distributed by bar workers, all tied to a central database of prizes unique to each bar. Bars get batches of 7,500 "tabs," purchased by charities and stored in a central database for each game, each with its own allotment of winning tabs. The bars receive another batch when the tabs run out.
Under the existing legislative plan, state taxes from pull-tabs will pay $348 million for a 65,000-seat, Minneapolis stadium, which the team is expected to move into by the 2016 season. The amount does not include interest the state will also have to pay.
Five bars, including O'Gara's and Mancini's in St. Paul, were equipped and operating the games Tuesday.
Colin Minehart, executive director of the beverage association's Children's Fund, said his charity which will receive 3 cents -- compared with the 5.4 cents that the state will draw -- of every dollar spent on pull-tabs at O'Gara's and 10 other bars. Most bars have a single charity they donate to.
In addition to the state and charity, players get back 85 cents on every dollar in winnings; the bar owner gets 2.25 cents in rent; and the machines' distributor and manufacturer get 4.35 cents.
Minehart claimed he had no idea how much money the pull-tabs will bring in, noting that estimations thrown out during legislative sessions for the state varied from $42 million to more than $70 million annually. Tom Barrett, executive director of the Minnesota Gambling Control Board, has said the new games are expected to yield an additional $1.3 billion in gross receipts.
[unquote]
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: Jul 26, 2012 2:14:37 PM
Zimcity - Excellent solution to the impasse. Please contact Marc Rotenberg (the U's general counsel). Maybe you'll get season tickets for all Vikings games at TCF Bank Stadium (or at least free pop).
|
Zimcity
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:65,794
Points:3,717,580
Joined:Aug 2001
|
Message Posted: Jul 26, 2012 1:36:21 PM
Serve Coke in Pepsi cups, done.
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: Jul 25, 2012 11:17:18 PM
Coke? Pepsi? Who would have thought that the Vikings playing at TCF Bank Stadium would come down to that choice? The Strib explains:
[quote]
As the Vikings negotiate to use the school's TCF Bank Stadium during construction of a new professional stadium, one of the sticking points is the university's 10-year agreement making Coca-Cola the exclusive soft drink on campus. The Vikings have an agreement with Pepsi, and the National Football League also has an agreement with Gatorade -- which is owned by Pepsi -- to have "Gatorade-logoed coolers, cups and towels" on the sidelines of all NFL games.
The university has had Coke as its exclusive soft drink since 1996, and the latest 104-page contract features an "approved cup design" and lists more than 300 Coke vending machine locations on the Twin Cities campus alone.
"The beverage issue is very important to the NFL and to the Vikings," said Mark Rotenberg, the university's general counsel. "They say that they have Pepsi, and we say we have Coke."
With the Vikings needing to use the campus stadium for at least a year while the team's new stadium is built, the team and the school are racing to reach a solution by fall.
[unquote]
|
goldieolds
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:8,383
Points:1,331,895
Joined:Sep 2007
|
Message Posted: Jul 21, 2012 7:25:19 PM
I hope they develop it in a more family friendly way than they did the Warehouse District. More bars and drinking establishments will lead to more drunken mobs like have been in the WD, and encourage more crime like they've got over there. I'm not against drinking; I do some myself, but in moderation. But I am against what's happened in the WD. I think when you add in the competitive emotions of drunken sports fans, you've got a volatile mix.
Maybe tying it into the river development nearby would be a good thing. OTOH I hope it doesn't "pollute" the beautiful scenic and peaceful cultural area instead.
[Edited by: goldieolds at 7/21/2012 8:31:10 PM EST]
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: Jul 21, 2012 12:08:23 PM
A Cityscape column in MinnPost explains the lack of development around the Metrodome:
[quote]
Back when the Metrodome was built, there was a lot of concern that it would generate a second downtown that would draw people and energy from the one that was already there. And planners didn't want to set up an entertainment district to rival what was developing in the warehouse district. So there was a conscious effort not to encourage development.
[As a result], the Metrodome is this big blank-walled bunker. There's no life around it. The city now recognizes that was a mistake.
[unquote]
The column focuses on what the city’s Stadium Implementation Committee might do prevent a similar mistake this time.
[quote]
To get a sense of how the stadium might change the local area — and the city — I talked to Thomas Fisher, a professor and dean of the College of Design at the University of Minnesota. He was appointed to serve as co-chairman of the city’s Stadium Implementation Committee, along with David Wilson, a director at Accenture.
The assignment: to make "recommendations on the design plans submitted for the stadium, and stadium infrastructure, and related improvements."
The group, which hasn't yet had its initial meeting, has no say in the design of the stadium itself, just "the skin out," says Fisher. But, he adds, "When they talk about our having a say on the skin, it shouldn't just be the color of the brick but how the stadium connects to or interacts with the city around it."
He sees the project as an opportunity to create a vibrant new area.
[unquote]
[Edited by: DI at 7/21/2012 1:10:13 PM EST]
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: Jun 26, 2012 2:13:11 AM
TornadoRed wonders "what happens to the newly-built stadium for the Vikings, if the Vikings and all of pro football go out of business?"
I assume you mean who pays for the Vikings share of the stadium if they go out of business. I'd suspect that would be up to those trial lawyers (who apparently control our legal system - maybe you could explain what happened to the rest of it — the judges, juries, appellate courts, etc.).
Assuming that the new stadium is like the Metrodome that it replaces, the stadium itself will continue to host numerous events throughout the year. For example, we saw the huge impact the Metrodome's roof collapse on collegiate baseball teams (the U and MIAC).
|
TornadoRed
Champion Author
Minnesota
Posts:1,900
Points:726,335
Joined:Apr 2005
|
Message Posted: Jun 25, 2012 11:13:09 PM
Lately there's been quite a bit of discussion about the permanent head injuries sustained by pro football players. Class action lawsuits might be filed. And a number of highly-placed sports experts have suggested that football at all levels -- professional, college, and high school -- might be banned.
I don't think this will happen, but if the trial lawyers get too greedy then they could bankrupt the NFL and make college football too costly for the schools. As for high school administrators, if the costs for insurance go too high, then HS football would have to go.
So... what happens to the newly-built stadium for the Vikings, if the Vikings and all of pro football go out of business?
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: Jun 25, 2012 10:43:46 PM
One person who came out OK with the new stadium:
Mondale named CEO of new Vikings stadium authority
[quote]
Ted Mondale, the son of former Vice President Walter Mondale, was unanimously selected Friday as the CEO of the new Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA), which will oversee the construction of the new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings.
[unquote]
And one who will be a big loser:
ex-Vikings GM Mike Lynn who made the Metrodome his sugar daddy
[quote]
The $975 million stadium the Minnesota Vikings will begin using in 2016 dooms the Metrodome and the gravy train that has enriched Mike Lynn for three-plus decades. It writes the final chapter in the curious tale of an ambitious executive, a paranoid owner, their dubious deal making and the estrangement that continues to haunt the team.
To Vikings fans of a certain age, Lynn is the dupe responsible for one of the most lopsided trades in sports history. The team's general manager from 1975 to 1990 acquired washed-up running back Herschel Walker from Dallas in 1989 in exchange for five players and seven draft choices -- a transaction that helped the Cowboys win three Super Bowls. ...
Early in his tenure as general manager, Lynn negotiated a controversial contract with the Vikings that granted him 10 percent of luxury suite revenue for every event at the Metrodome, starting in 1982, an agreement that still compensates him 22 years after he resigned from the club.
Talk about a sweet suite deal.
Negotiated while American hostages were still in Iran, Jimmy Carter was in the White House and Terry Bradshaw was the NFL's reigning MVP, the annuity has paid Lynn between $14 million and $20 million over the past 30 years, according to two people with direct knowledge of the contract who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss a confidential agreement.
[unquote]
|
rjgimp
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:5,956
Points:1,054,770
Joined:Oct 2003
|
Message Posted: May 31, 2012 12:44:50 PM
Yes, Zimcity. A shocker, indeed! LOL!
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: May 30, 2012 10:29:48 PM
nru - Please explain your comment "please bend over - you need a new stadium". Unless you're planning on playing electronic pull-tabs or bingo in bars or restaurants, I don't believe that you'll pay anything toward the new stadium. Since such games don't exist now, it would seem simple enough that you just avoid playing them once they are available.
|
nru
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:1,950
Points:1,010,795
Joined:Feb 2006
|
Message Posted: May 30, 2012 7:02:32 PM
please bend over - you need a new stadium
|
Zimcity
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:65,794
Points:3,717,580
Joined:Aug 2001
|
Message Posted: May 30, 2012 3:22:47 PM
"As usual, DI and I are not in agreement." Shocking!
|
rjgimp
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:5,956
Points:1,054,770
Joined:Oct 2003
|
Message Posted: May 29, 2012 3:32:31 PM
I had read most of the first piece DI references Sunday morning. As usual, DI and I are not in agreement. I would certainly not call this a "good article" for a major metropolitan newspaper. I believe it might have set a record for the percentage of paragraphs in a single article beginning with a conjunction. I wonder if Mr Belden bothered to attend any of his English classes in high school.
Grammatical nitpicking aside, the piece starts off bordering on fiction. To wit:
"On the state's side of the negotiating table was Gov. Mark Dayton, all four caucus leaders and the stadium bill sponsors.
On the team's side were Bagley and three associates."
Really? This sounds like four wolves, two lambs, and an alligator negotiating over what to have for dinner. The alligator blinked? Oh, yes, I see how that could happen. Egad.
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: May 28, 2012 11:49:05 PM
The PiPress has two good articles on the stadium process:
• Vikings stadium: At key point, it was state vs. Vikings. Guess who blinked. which describes how things finally came together.
• Vikings stadium: New Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority holds the keys describes the new entity that will control the new stadium.
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: May 22, 2012 10:27:47 PM
Another tidbit for those interested in the minutiae of actually getting to a point where the stadium can be built:
Mpls. City Attorney says no stadium vote needed, puts it in writing
The short version is that, previously, she had issued only an oral opinion. And, while the stadium bill that was approved specifically overrides the Mpls City Charter (which requires a referendum to fund more than $10M for any athletic facility), her written opinion gives even less of a leg to stand on for the minority of council members who oppose the stadium.
A vote by Mpls. city council is anticipated later this week (and is required for the stadium to move forward).
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: May 22, 2012 1:26:21 AM
Finance & Commerce reports Supreme Court OK required for Vikings stadium financing
[quote]
There has been no shortage of coverage relating to the Minnesota Viking stadium. Seemingly every aspect of the package that was signed into law by Gov. Mark Dayton last Monday has been hashed over by television, online and print outlets.
But one potentially problematic piece of the $975 million plan has received scant coverage: The funding scheme to pay for the stadium is contingent on approval from the Minnesota Supreme Court. If the court determines that issuing what are known as appropriation bonds is not constitutional, the funding mechanism for the state’s $348 million share of the project disappears. ...
The debate over appropriation bonds is not new. It goes back to 2009, when then-Gov. Tim Pawlenty proposed borrowing $1 billion against future proceeds from the state’s 1998 settlement with tobacco companies to help solve the state’s budget deficit. At the time Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller sought an opinion from Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson about whether such a funding mechanism would violate the state Constitution’s prohibition on deficit spending for general operating expenses. ...
Last month the Minnesota Management & Budget agency filed a brief with the Supreme Court seeking clearance to use appropriation bonds to refinance the tobacco borrowing. It’s unknown when a ruling on the matter could be forthcoming. It’s also unclear whether the court’s opinion will be written broadly enough to also permit the issuance of appropriation bonds for the stadium. If not, the state will have to seek judicial clearance through a separate court action before proceeding with any bond sale.
According to legal and finance experts, the court potentially could take two courses of action that would imperil the financing mechanism for the Vikings stadium: It could determine that the Supreme Court is not the right venue to initially consider the matter. That would kick the issue down to a lower court and potentially drag out the matter for an extended time period.
Or the court could determine that appropriation bonds are unconstitutional and rule them out completely. If that happens, it’s uncertain how the state would cover its share of the nearly $1 billion stadium. The Legislature would almost certainly have to take action to provide a different funding mechanism. “I don’t think there’s any way to make [the stadium bill] work if appropriation bonds are not the vehicle,” said one veteran budget watcher.
One possibility that’s been discussed is authorizing the Metropolitan Council to issue the bonds. The state would then appropriate the money to cover the debt service to the Metropolitan Council. A similar scheme was employed to pay for the University of Minnesota’s new football stadium, with the school issuing the bonds.
[unquote]
|
Zimcity
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:65,794
Points:3,717,580
Joined:Aug 2001
|
Message Posted: May 9, 2012 3:31:43 PM
Thankfully the Senate bill was a little more realistic, and hopefully they will hammer out a deal that is workable for everybody.
I would think the NFL will push hard for Zygi to accept any deal that is within $500 million of team/league contributions.
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: May 8, 2012 11:43:19 PM
FWIW, Speaker Zellers voted "No" on the stadium bill. (Check the roll call that was in my linked article this morning.) While he had been cagey about how he'd vote up until the last week or so, he'd been pretty open in the last few days that he would not vote for it.
|
Siouxfan
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:52,236
Points:3,616,880
Joined:May 2001
|
Message Posted: May 8, 2012 5:33:50 PM
Why stop with Zellers?
I say out with everyone of them that voted for this stupid stadium. Ziggy can take his team and hold another state hostage. Don't let the door hit you, ziggy.
When will our government realize that we can't afford everything in the toy store? My kids know that just because they want something, doesn't always mean that they are going to get it.
|
MikeHatch
Veteran Author
Twin Cities
Posts:375
Points:61,850
Joined:Feb 2003
|
Message Posted: May 8, 2012 5:20:12 PM
Zellers knew the Vikings would not accept this bill. It may have passed the House, but it wont be built. Say goodbye to the Vikes and the jobs for construction workers. In November, Zellers needs to be voted OUT!!!
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: May 8, 2012 3:08:34 PM
Currently the Senate has passed an amendment lowering the state's share by $25M. If the bill passes the Senate with that amendment and a conference committee splits the difference, it'll be interesting to see how the Vikings handle turning down ~$400M in public funding.
|
Zimcity
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:65,794
Points:3,717,580
Joined:Aug 2001
|
Message Posted: May 8, 2012 2:08:22 PM
So they passed a bill with a poison pill in it, geniuses.
|
goldieolds
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:8,383
Points:1,331,895
Joined:Sep 2007
|
Message Posted: May 8, 2012 5:38:20 AM
Here's the figure I was interested in (from DI's link, one post below):
"40 Democrats and 33 Republicans voted for it"
That's probably as close to bi-partisan as you're going to see in this political climate.
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: May 8, 2012 2:49:33 AM
House passes Vikings stadium bill
[quote]
After eight and a half hours of debate, the Minnesota House passed a bill that would finance a new football stadium for the Minnesota Vikings.
The House passed the measure 73-58. ...
The House did lower the state's contribution $105 million from $398 to $293 million. Several House members say the Vikings can afford to spend more than their $427 million contribution. ...
The plan would also require the city of Minneapolis to spend $150 million.
The Minnesota Senate has yet to act on the bill. Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont, says she expects the Senate to take up the bill tomorrow morning. The Senate is in session at 9am.
[unquote]
The article includes the roll call vote in case you're interested in how your representative voted.
[Edited by: DI at 5/8/2012 3:52:55 AM EST]
|
DriverDave
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:9,963
Points:1,396,205
Joined:Jul 2004
|
Message Posted: Apr 23, 2012 9:26:01 AM
The Vikings have been trying to work with the state gov't for a decade on a new stadium. After the bills for Target Field and TCF Bank Stadium were passed in 2006/2007(?), the Vikings were told, "Yours is coming next year, just be patient". They've been patient. They've jumped thru the hoops that the state gov't has made them jump thru. Just think of how much money could've been saved if a deal would have been made 5 years ago.
The state loves the tax revenue professional sports teams generate (think about the sales tax on the concessions at the stadia, plus the income tax from the players playing, plus the sales tax generated at the surrounding eating/drinking establishments), yet so many seem to think only the "billionaire owners" make any money on these sorts of deals.
|
djvang
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:30,519
Points:4,255,040
Joined:May 2001
|
Message Posted: Apr 21, 2012 4:19:21 PM
The NFL lost me as a fan years ago because of all the taunting, trash talk and individual theatrics after almost every play so I don't really care if the Vikings move. But I think the powers that be will find a way to get a stadium built and keep them here.
|
GopherFan
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:19,951
Points:3,217,365
Joined:Feb 2004
|
Message Posted: Apr 21, 2012 3:20:38 PM
goldieolds: First, I'll state up-front that my bias is that I like football & believe pro sports are a plus to both the State's economy & quality of life. Those who don't think as I do are certainly entitled to their opinion, but too many use "arguments" similar to yours & need to get their "facts" straight...there is a transfer fee, just as there is a franchise fee for new franshises. The transfer fee is less than the new franchise fee and in both cases is split among all the teams. So, how do you propose getting the transfer fee to pay for a new stadium? As for Wilf being in LA, nowhere did the Vikings ever say anything - it was a few of the sports stations (ESPN for one) using a teaser going to break and when they did mention it in their story, they each said that he was in LA for reasons unrelated to football.
"Call their bluff..." just look at what it cost cities that lost an NFL franchise, to get a team back (Houston, Baltimore, Cleveland, St Louis) & then tell me which cost the taxpayers the most in the end.
|
goldieolds
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:8,383
Points:1,331,895
Joined:Sep 2007
|
Message Posted: Apr 21, 2012 12:56:50 AM
Let them go - good riddance. But I seriously doubt they will leave, whether or not the get us to pay for their playground. However I do think the state is going to capitulate; they always do at the last minute.
The NFL is bullying the state, and the state is going to act like any good mark, and pay up.
I heard on a news report, 'CCO, I think, that the NFL honchos who came to town said that Wilf was in LA for a charity event, "not for football". Interesting timing, eh? Maybe they just had the pilot fly the plane out there and park it to be seen, as a decoy.
I have also heard on more than one news report/station, that if they do move, there is precedence that the team owners may have to pay a humongous amount of money for a transfer fee. If they'd put that amount of money toward a stadium, maybe it would be enough to pay for it, or at least for a big chunk. I don't remember the numbers, but it was a LOT! This threat about moving could all be a big bluff to get what they want.
What dupes.
Call their bluff, and if they go, they go. Maybe we'd be better off.
I wonder if they figure in all the wear and tear and extra infrastructure involved in a stadium, like on streets, sewers, added police, etc.
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: Apr 21, 2012 12:14:04 AM
Apparently, Siouxfan hasn't heard the news:
Vikings stadium bill revived by Minnesota Senate panel's 8-6 vote
[quote]
A week that started with a defeat in the House ended with a win in the Senate for the Minnesota Vikings stadium bill, which cleared a committee Friday, April 20, on an 8-6 vote and is headed to another Monday. ...
The vote in the Senate's Local Government and Elections Committee came hours after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell met with Gov. Mark Dayton and legislative leaders to urge passage of a stadium bill this session.
Friday's vote to move the bill to the Jobs and Economic Development Finance Committee without recommendation is a step in that direction, but hurdles remain. It would need to go to Finance and possibly Taxes, Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont, said.
And the bill was voted down in a House committee on Monday, so some means would have to be found to revive it in the House.
House Speaker Kurt Zellers did say Friday that he expected the bill would reach the floor in both chambers.
[unquote]
|
Siouxfan
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:52,236
Points:3,616,880
Joined:May 2001
|
Message Posted: Apr 20, 2012 10:36:10 PM
Bye bye.
|
Zimcity
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:65,794
Points:3,717,580
Joined:Aug 2001
|
Message Posted: Apr 20, 2012 7:54:33 PM
It's time to pit up or shut up. Enough of the silly politics. Either we want the NFL or we don't )
The Vikings have done e erythinv they can and been very patient.
We can be like Cleveland and let them go and have to pay even more to get a new team or do the sensible thing and find a way to get it done now.
|
ajntammy
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:3,746
Points:770,405
Joined:Dec 2010
|
Message Posted: Apr 20, 2012 6:02:35 AM
Tired of hearing about it. If they want a stadium they should purchase it with their own money. They are a business and businesses should pay for things with their own money or borrow and pay the interest. Stadiums are made to lavish and should get back to basics.
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: Apr 20, 2012 5:07:56 AM
Finance & Commerce wonders Can Stadium District emerge from shadows?
[quote]
As the Metrodome football stadium plan stumbles in the Legislature, there is talk of new maneuvering around a site near the Minneapolis Farmers Market.
Citing unnamed sources, KSTP-TV reported Tuesday night that Hennepin County commissioners were working behind the scenes to assemble a deal on what’s now being billed as the Stadium District site.
On Wednesday, Hennepin County Commissioners Mike Opat and Mark Stenglein told Finance & Commerce that’s not the case but both acknowledged that they would prefer the site to the Metrodome location. ...
But broker and developer Chuck Leer, who is working to promote the Stadium District concept, does not sound discouraged. ...
A spokesman for the Minnesota Vikings said the team is not looking at the Stadium District location. ...
But over the years, stadium politics have been an ever-shifting game. In 2006, the team was bullish on a location in Blaine. Last year, the Vikings were adamant that property in Arden Hills was the best spot for a new stadium. The team shifted its focus to the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis after Gov. Mark Dayton said that he thought the site stood the best chance of winning legislative approval.
Finance & Commerce recently reported that the team’s conceptual “principles of agreement” with Ramsey County remains in place, even as political attention is focused on the Metrodome site. Throughout the debate, promoters of competing sites have often refrained from being publicly critical of other locations. There has long been speculation that Hennepin County, which engineered the deal to build Target Field for the Twins, could emerge at some point as a stadium player.
[unquote]
|
DI
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:20,349
Points:4,176,015
Joined:Apr 2001
|
Message Posted: Apr 16, 2012 11:29:05 PM
Bungee comments "Just heard during the news that the Clowns at the capitol voted down the stadium bill."
First, just to clarify, there is no single "stadium bill" (which is part of the problem, IMHO). In the House, there are 12 different bills relating to a "Vikings" stadium and, in the Senate, eight.
Second, while one of those bills was defeated in committee this evening, it's not over until the fat lady sings (or, in this case, the legislature adjourns sine die).
The Vikings have a high hurdle to get over because V.P. Lester Bagley states the new stadium will not be a "Vikings" stadium but a state-owned facility that the Vikings will only use 10 days a year and will also be used by college baseball, high school football, etc. The problem is there's an existing facility (the Metrodome) which serves the latter's audiences perfectly well (since they don't need suites, etc.). It's what the Vikings "need" that's driving the push for a new stadium
[Edited by: DI at 4/17/2012 12:31:29 AM EST]
|
Zimcity
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:65,794
Points:3,717,580
Joined:Aug 2001
|
Message Posted: Jan 31, 2012 10:45:10 AM
Yes that article does point out his stadiums become outdated. The Metrodpme is about the same age as the Astrodpme was when the Oilers left. Seems like a good plan to use the existing site for a new stadium rather than have it sit empty.
|
rjgimp
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:5,956
Points:1,054,770
Joined:Oct 2003
|
Message Posted: Jan 30, 2012 1:49:03 PM
Here's an interesting article about the growing lot of unused and deteriorating gargantuan sports facilities out there that are owned by some unit of government, most notably the Houston Astrodome which hasn't seen an event of any kind in over three years and has been condemned by the local Fire Marshall.
|