Rep. Joe Atkins Dissects the Vikings Stadium Debate

Inver Grove Heights Rep. Joe Atkins is the DFL leader of the House Commerce and Regulatory Reform Committee, one of the committees that signed off on a Vikings stadium plan on the Metrodome site on Apr. 2.

Since then, the stadium plan that many thought was a done deal has crumbled and the resulting chain of events may well end up in the creation of the Los Angeles Vikings.  

Rep. Atkins is warning people to "look for much more negotiation before a final proposal emerges" but that the plan most likely to succeed is the one where "those who benefit most from a new stadium, pay the most [for it], without general tax dollars."

As a favor to Patch, Rep. Atkins has dissected the complex debate into separate issues to, hopefully, make it more understandable.  

THE LATEST NEWS 

 NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney will be in town Friday morning to emphasize that the NFL itself—not just the Vikings—has serious concerns about the viability of the franchise here and the future of the team here, if a new stadium is not approved. 

The owners of the Vikings have not threatened to relocate the team, or even discussed it, but there is growing talk that they may sell the team to owners who would relocate the team. 

THE PROPOSAL

The stadium proposal that has made the most progress calls for construction of a new $975 million stadium on the Metrodome site. 

FINANCING

The team would pay for about half the cost under the proposal, with the City of Minneapolis and State paying for the other half by issuing 20-year bonds at a cost of about $45-50 million/year.

The revenues to repay the City's share of the bonds would come from sales taxes that currently go toward paying for the Minneapolis Convention Center.  (The convention center will be paid off in 2021, freeing up about $28 million/year that currently goes toward paying debt service on the convention center.) 

The State's share under the proposal would come from revenues generated by electronic pulltabs and sports tip boards. 

JOBS

The construction of a new stadium would create approximately 13,000 jobs, including 7,500 construction and trades workers who would be employed during the three-year building process. 

ECONOMIC IMPACT

According to an independent study, the economic activity from a new stadium would generate about $26 million per year in tax revenue and $145 million in direct spending by Vikings fans inside the State of Minnesota. 

CURRENT STATUS

While the stadium legislation had been stalled in the Senate, it now appears the proposal will begin moving through the Senate's committee process Friday. It would need to pass at least two committees in the Senate before going to the full Senate for a vote.

In the House, the bill was defeated in the Government Operations Committee on a bipartisan 9-6 vote, after passing with bipartisan support in two earlier committees.

It is possible the proposal could be taken up again in the Government Operations Committee where, if passed, it would then go to the Tax Committee for a vote, before coming to the House floor for a full vote of House members. 

If this sounds like a challenging and complicated process, that's because it is a challenging and complicated process. 

FINAL DECISION

If the legislation passes all of the necessary committees in both the House and Senate, it would come up for a vote of the full House and full Senate, before going to Gov. Dayton for his signature. 

If it does not pass all of the necessary committees, it could still be proposed as an amendment to another related bill that is already on the floor of each body.  If it passed both bodies, it would then go to the governor for his signature.