Stadium

Okay, So Where Do We Go From Here?

May 8, 2012, by 23 comments

So, now that the House passed the Vikings stadium bill with a 105 million twists thrown in, what happens next?

As on most stadium issues, I have immediately sought out the facts from my favorite source on all stadium-related issues, Kevin Seifert at ESPN.

So, here are the steps that remain:

  • The bill will move on the Minnesota Senate on Tuesday.  There will likely be another long day of debate, and it is possible that items are added or deleted to the bill, including the $105 million portion that the House tossed at the feet of the Vikings on Monday.  These changes are referred to as “amendments.”
  • If the Senate fails to pass any version of the stadium bill then it is likely dead in the water.
  • If the Senate does pass some sort of version of the bill, which will likely differ from the House version, then it will move on to a House-Senate conference committee.
  • When the bill gets to the House-Senate conference committee it is their job to reconcile the differences between the two versions of the bill.
  • (Note:  Thanks to the reader that pointed out this missing step.)  The bill then travels back through the House and the Senate.  If it passes both, then it will be presented to the Governor with one single bill.
  • The Governor would then either sign the bill or veto it.  He is widely expected to pass any version of the bill that makes it to his desk.

So, there is still plenty of work to be done, and the Vikings and NFL are going to try their hardest to get rid of the additional $105 million responsibility that the House is trying to impose on them.

And, so, we continue to wait for a final answer.

Vikings Stadium Bill Passes The House

May 7, 2012, by 3 comments

Well, we’ve said all along:  it ain’t over ‘til it is over.

And it ain’t over yet.

Still, it is significant news that the Vikings stadium bill has reached new heights on Monday as the Minnesota House of Representatives passed it by a vote of 73-58, which is five more votes than it needed to pass.

The catch, however, is that the bill upped the Vikings and the NFL’s contribution to the project from $427 million to $532 million and, according to PFT, that may not be sitting well with the NFL.

On Tuesday, the bill will be voted on by the Minnesota State Senate and there are still plenty of issues to iron out even if it passes.

The good news is, for those that want to see the Vikings stay put, that opponents were unable to Kill Bill today.

Tomorrow, however, is another day.

What did happen today, however, is the House put the onus on the Vikings not to move the team over a mere $105 million additive.  This appears like a sneaky way put the ball in their court and, if things play out poorly, take the blame should the team leave the State.

Make Your Stance Known

May 5, 2012, by 13 comments

I won’t get into the politics and philosophy behind the stadium situation at this point, but as most of you know Monday is looking to be a very important day in the team’s ability to continue their tradition in Minnesota.

The Vikings organization has invited all of you to make your stance known by contacting Minnesota’s key representatives.

CLICK HERE if you live in Minnesota

CLICK HERE if you live somewhere other than Minnesota

House Vote On Stadium Set For Monday

May 3, 2012, by 9 comments

On Monday, the Minnesota Vikings stadium bill will finally come to the floor of the Minnesota House of Representatives for an up or down vote.

After multiple reports earlier in the week stated that an alternate proposal suggesting the stadium should be open air were making rounds, it will be the original proposal that gets voted on Monday.

It is almost impossible to predict what the outcome of the floor vote will be. Either way, the Vikings and proponents of the new stadium will finally get what they’ve been asking for: a clear-cut yes or no answer.

It’s safe to assume that lobbyists for both sides, as well as the general public, will have a very busy weekend trying to gather votes for Monday. House Speaker Kurt Zellers has already announced that he will be voting against the bill and ‘called on Dayton to round up the ‘yes’ votes himself.”

Although an approval in the House would still require a sign-off by the Senate, it would be a momentous occasion for the Vikings and nearly solidify a stadium that has been in the works seemingly forever.

Stay tuned Vikings fans. One way or the other, we should have some closure come Monday.

Stadium Situation Coming Down To The Wire

April 28, 2012, by No comments yet

The Minnesota Capitol is hoping to adjourn the current session by Monday evening.

That means, in order for the Vikings to have a stadium bill passed this year, it will either have to happen very soon or be taken care of in a special session.  Signs continue to point towards a vote taking place on the floor of both the House and the Senate before the deadline.

The latest news regarding the stadium bill is that a 7-6 vote narrowly let it escape the Senate Taxes Committee after some heated debate took place.  Most of the squabbling centers on the sources of funding trying to be used, particularly the portions involving an increase of gambling.

It is possible that votes will come on the bill either Sunday or Monday.

Taxing Players Hurts Competitive Advantage

April 26, 2012, by 1 comment

I once suggested (sorry, couldn’t find the link to prove it) that Vikings fans that would truly be willing to give up something significant to see their team remain in Minnesota should send the Wilf family a letter asking them to auction off their Draft picks for cash as a means to help pay for a new stadium.  In the letter, the fan would pledge to buy five years worth of season tickets no matter how poorly the team ended up being as a result.

That was an outrageous idea that would never happen, but Republican Representative Mike Benson has promised to try and remove gambling aspects from the Vikings stadium bill and replace it with a funding mechanism that could hurt the team’s competitive advantage.

In addition to taxes targeting game day fans at the stadium, Benson proposes a 4% tax on the players and executives that make more than $200,000 per year.

It really isn’t an unreasonable thought, but this could have a negative impact on the Vikings when bidding on players in free agency.  If a player gets an offer from the Vikings, they will always be reminded by their agents that 4% of their checks will be heading elsewhere.

The idea seems to be popular amongst Republicans at the State level.

Minneapolis Joins In On Stadium Fun

April 25, 2012, by 4 comments

A contentious stadium debate took place Tuesday night at a Minneapolis City Council meeting.

The symbolic vote is used as a signal to the State Legislature that the City of Minneapolis has enough support for the bill to make it worth passing at the State level.  The plan calls to use $150 million for the initial construction of the stadium and calls for them to kick in another $198 million for operations.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak’s proposal uses an existing sales tax to fund the City’s portion of the costs, and this point was of particular controversy Tuesday night as many feel strongly that a financial decision like this has to be decided by a public vote.  Rybak’s plan bypasses that vote.

The plan was voted on and passed by a count of seven to six.

The Vikings have now cleared yet another hurdle on their way to getting this thing done.