Minnesota Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf renewed their call Friday for a special legislative session to approve a publicly subsidized $1.1 billion stadium in Arden Hills.

In a letter to Gov. Mark Dayton, the Wilfs reiterated that Arden Hills is their preferred stadium site and that their $407 million funding pledge applies only to a stadium there and not another location.

“The Vikings stand ready to work with you and state leaders during a special legislative session this fall or winter,” they wrote. “By doing so, we can put thousands of people back to work now and prevent further cost delays.”

Along with their letter to Dayton, the Wilfs attached color illustrations of a tailgating scene outside a stadium labeled “Minnesota Sports Complex,” and an aerial view of the stadium at night with the downtowns of St. Paul and Minneapolis in the distance.

The Wilfs called the illustrations “the most up-to-date images of the potential of a new multi-purpose facility in Arden Hills.”

Vikings officials expressed concern this week that what appeared to be momentum toward cutting a stadium deal was lost when House Speaker Kurt Zellers said he opposed a special session to consider a stadium bill before the Legislature meets in late January.

The Wilfs said Friday that they were disappointed that Ramsey County’s proposed half-cent sales tax has been dropped as funding option. But they said they’re “encouraged” by recent meetings of legislative leaders about the stadium, and the fact that leaders “are now focused on viable revenue streams that are sufficient to fund the project.”

The team, they said, is open to how the public share of the stadium is funded.

Kevin Duchschere • 612-673-4455

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. – Minnesota Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf sent a couple of stadium images and a letter to Gov. Mark Dayton on Friday. The Wilfs reaffirmed their desire to build on the Arden Hills site and expressed hope for a special session in winter to push through a stadium plan.

COPY OF LETTER TO GOV. DAYTON

Dear Governor Dayton:

Thank you for your continued leadership in the discussions to build a new publicly-owned, multi-purpose stadium in Minnesota. The Vikings are encouraged by the fact that you and all four caucus leaders are having serious conversations about resolving this issue and that State leaders recognize the urgency for reaching a resolution. As we have seen in our seven seasons as owners, the strategy of avoiding this issue does not work. Further delays not only increase the overall costs to both the State and the Vikings, but also make the project much more difficult to resolve and prevent thousands of construction workers from getting back on the job.

While we are disappointed with the decision to eliminate the local sales tax option after being told for many years to pursue a local partner and funding source, we believe the most positive news is that State leaders are now focused on viable revenue streams that are sufficient to fund the project. The Vikings are open to how State leaders choose to finance the public portion of the equation, and we look forward to working with you on a comprehensive stadium finance plan.

We continue to believe Arden Hills is the ideal stadium site for the State and the team. It is also the site that is preferred by our fans, as it will provide the game day experience and a Vikings destination that makes this location superior. The Vikings have spent more than a year working with Ramsey County on the analysis of this site and we are confident that it will serve the State and our fans extremely well. As you know, the Metropolitan Council study completed in October found no new concerns that should prohibit the project at this site from moving forward. In fact, Ramsey County now plans to vote next week to approve a Purchase Offer negotiated with the Army that will provide for a fixed cost and timeline to acquire and remediate the land in accordance with the 2015 project schedule and budget.

Furthermore, the Vikings private investment of more than $400 million is specific to the Arden Hills location because of the opportunities that exist with that site. Any other location would not justify anywhere near the level of commitment we have made in Arden Hills. By building at this site, the State can leverage the maximum amount of private dollars toward this publicly-owned project, clean up the largest Superfund site in Minnesota, and improve roads in the region that need attention and will benefit the entire State. For your benefit, we have attached the most up-to-date images of the potential of a new multi-purpose facility in Arden Hills.

The Vikings stand ready to work with you and State leaders during a special legislative session this fall or winter. By doing so, we can put thousands of people back to work now and prevent further cost delays. We look forward to reviewing the State’s proposed financing package and to reaching a solution that fits Minnesota and works for the State and the Vikings.

Sincerely,

Zygi Wilf, Owner/Chairman

Mark Wilf, Owner/President
 

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) – Minnesota‘s governor said on Wednesday that plans for a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings National Football League team had been thrown into “limbo” after legislative leaders spurned a special session and called for public hearings.

Governor Mark Dayton, whose budget impasse with the Republican-controlled Legislature led to a three-week state shutdown this year, said the lack of support for a session cast doubt on whether any deal could be reached over the next six months.

“We were making progress, I thought, until today,” the Democratic governor told reporters after a meeting with legislative leaders. “It just throws it all into limbo now and the clock is ticking.”

The Vikings, whose stadium lease expires early next year, allowing the team potentially to leave Minnesota after 50 years, said in a statement it was “concerned about the turn of events surrounding a stadium solution in Minnesota.”

“The Vikings stadium issue has been heavily debated in the public for over 10 years,” the team said. “With less than 90 days left on the team’s lease, the urgency to act is on us.”

The Vikings have played at the Metrodome in Minneapolis since 1982 and have not stressed relocation as a possibility.

But an NFL executive said in October it could be a concern if the Vikings’ lease expired with no new stadium plan in place and other cities providing options.

With support for a special session lacking, Dayton scrapped plans to release recommendations for a stadium funding plan on Monday and canceled meetings with the Vikings on Friday. He had planned a special session for later in November.

Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch and House Speaker Kurt Zellers, both Republicans, told reporters the consensus was to hold public hearings on stadium funding proposals.

The Vikings and officials from Ramsey County reached a deal earlier this year to build a $1.1 billion stadium at the site of a former Army munitions plant in the Minneapolis/St. Paul suburb of Arden Hills.

The funding plan called for $350 million backed by a Ramsey County sales tax increase, $300 million from the state and more than $400 million from the Vikings.

The Ramsey County funding portion hit a snag when state lawmakers refused to support an exemption to allow the sales tax increase without a public referendum, something most people believe would be rejected.

At the least, delays in adopting a funding plan would push the stadium’s opening beyond the 2015 date expected by the Vikings and increase its cost, team and state officials say.

(This version corrects to Vikings in headline)

(Editing by Jerry Norton and Peter Cooney)

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Vikings aren’t abandoning a suburban stadium site despite a tax setback delivered by state leaders.

Vikings vice president Lester Bagley says the team won’t change course after an announcement Tuesday that lawmakers have all but ruled out allowing a local sales tax increase without a public referendum.

The sales tax was a key piece of a Ramsey County proposal to finance a stadium in Arden Hills.

Gov. Mark Dayton and legislative leaders say they lacked the votes to advance a sales tax initiative without letting voters to have a say at the ballot box. The Vikings oppose a referendum.

Minneapolis officials have three stadium sites in the mix, but Bagley says the team hasn’t had formal discussions with the city since aligning with Ramsey County.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Read More: minnesota vikings stadium, vikings stadium update, Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings stadium updates are almost to the point of being as annoying as the Brett Favre retirement rumors were not long ago, but it’s still a situation to keep an eye on. Therefore, it seems prudent that the latest news coming out of the state’s government is that taxes will not be be raised to fund a new stadium.

Actually, that just won’t happen in the near future as the soonest it could be put to a vote, according to Governor Mark Dayton, is at the November 2012 general election.

“Last Friday’s meeting was very significant in eliminating one proposed source of financing for a People’s Stadium in either Ramsey County or Minneapolis, unless the Vikings are willing to endure the time delay and continuing uncertainty in obtaining voters’ approval. Given this reality, we are now actively assessing and discussing with the team other financing options.”

This certainly isn’t the end of the road for stadium supporters, but things have at least got a bit more tricky for those hoping the Vikings build a new stadium to stay in Minnesota.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO/AP) — One of the Legislature’s most liberal Democrats and one of its most conservative Republicans are joining the Minnesota Vikings stadium fray with what they are calling an “alternative stadium plan.”

Democratic Sen. John Marty of Roseville and Republican Rep. Linda Runbeck of Circle Pines unveiled their proposal at a Capitol press conference Friday. It would transfer ownership of the downtown Minneapolis stadium to the team contingent on the owners signing a 25-year contract to play at the Metrodome and assume its operating costs. Marty and Runbeck say that would let the team refurbish the Metrodome to whatever level they want — even as little as $1.

Both have been longtime foes of public subsidies for building professional sports stadiums. Both also represent parts of Ramsey County, where there’s strong public opposition to a current plan to build the new stadium on a suburban parcel in Arden Hills.

A similar bill was introduced a few years ago, but never made it to the full house or senate.

Vikings spokesman Jeff Anderson said the team isn’t interested. He says the Vikings remain committed to building a new, $1.1 billion stadium in suburban Arden Hills.

Gov. Dayton called the plan a distraction.

Dayton held a series of meetings this week as he pushes for a special session for lawmakers to vote on a Vikings stadium package. Dayton says he’ll keep meeting on the issue and hopes to release his own stadium proposal in early November.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings say that a countywide referendum in Ramsey County on a proposed half-cent sales tax hike to help build a stadium would delay the project by two years and add at least $110 million in additional costs to the $1 billion proposal.

The team released a letter Tuesday afternoon criticizing the proposed referendum, in advance of an evening hearing of a Ramsey County panel set to decide whether county residents get to vote on the proposed tax increase.

The letter to the Charter Commission chairman, signed by Vikings vice president Lester Bagley, says team leaders “cannot tell you whether a referendum can pass.” But it says “neither the taxpayers nor the team can afford such a major delay caused by adding this referendum provision.”

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Bonnie Jackelen of the Ramsey County Charter Commission tries to get a speaker to stop speaking, as the Charter Commission held a public hearing Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011, on proposed ballot language that could go before voters in November 2012, which would ask voters if they favor a ban on the use of sales tax revenue to build professional stadiums. (Pioneer Press: Scott Takushi)

This week, Roseville resident Vivek Iyer stood before the Ramsey County Charter Commission – one of the least-known appointed bodies in the state – and called its 17 members the “last line of defense” between taxpayers and “a powerful special interest group” otherwise known as the Minnesota Vikings.

From the perspective of stadium opponents, he might be right.

The Vikings’ stadium proposal has the potential for a three-way collision among the Legislature, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners and the charter commission. The clash could raise questions about the legal and political authority of each body – issues that some charter commission members say might only be decided by the courts.

Ramsey County is Minnesota’s only county with a home-rule charter, a form of government by the people also operating in such cities as Minneapolis and St. Paul. The charter commission is charged with protecting the charter, the county’s constitution of sorts.

Its members may soon learn the extent of their powers.

The charter commission is considering whether to use its authority to ask voters on the November 2012 to decide a new charter rule blocking the proposed 0.5 percent countywide sales tax for the proposed $1.1 billion stadium in Arden Hills.

Iyer certainly hopes the commission decides to place the question on the ballot. The Roseville management consultant, who joined dozens of people Wednesday at a public hearing on the proposed ballot language, was

following in his mind a series of “ifs.”

If the stadium deal survives negotiations with Gov. Mark Dayton and makes it to lawmakers or the seven-member county board, the ballot process might be stadium tax opponents’ only recourse.

With a ballot question hanging over their heads – even a year out – state lawmakers might have incentive to postpone a decision. Some might fear a public backlash. Others might consider the possible legal action resulting from a deal: Could the Legislature simply block the public referendum process once it’s scheduled and in motion? Could the county board do the same?

And would a public vote next year to ban county sales tax revenue from funding professional sports teams have the power to defund payments to the Vikings stadium already in progress?

The answers to those questions aren’t entirely clear. The Legislature authorized the creation of charter counties and charter cities. It stands to reason that lawmakers – perhaps – would have final say over the extent of their authority.

What little is clear is that the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners alone could not stop a ballot question from moving forward or overrule one once it’s been approved by voters, at least not without legislative help.

The current draft of the stadium legislation states that the bill “supersedes all land use and development rules and restrictions and procedures imposed by other law, charter, or ordinance.”

However, an article in the Minnesota Constitution indicates that county residents can vote to invalidate special laws imposed upon them by the Legislature.

“The Legislature may enact special laws relating to local government units,” it reads, “but…any special law may be modified or superseded by a later home rule charter or amendment applicable to the same local government unit.”

In other words, it’s possible that a ballot referendum in November 2012 might be able to undo a countywide tax if it’s imposed by the Legislature and the Ramsey County board.

But even some diehard stadium foes are skeptical.

The Minnesota Voters Alliance notes in its materials: “It is unclear that the referendum available to voters…would be able to roll back the sales tax ordinance once it is already in place, that is, enacted before November 2012.”

Darwin Lookingbill, the former lead attorney for the Ramsey County attorney’s civil division, said it’s unlikely but not impossible for a county to overrule the Legislature.

“That’s a tricky question,” Lookingbill said. “I think it would all depend on how the legislation is written.”

“The bottom line is the Legislature can always trump the charter commission,” he said. “The Legislature granted Ramsey County the authority to make a charter.”

Charter commission chairman Richard Sonterre declined to speculate Thursday on whether the 17 members would call for a public ballot, as a second public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 11 at the Ramsey County Courthouse in St. Paul.

On June 8, however, the charter commission passed a resolution, 10-3, stating that the body “values the right of the people to choose by referendum and would oppose any effort to circumvent the referendum process present in the Ramsey County Charter.”

Frederick Melo can be reached at 651-228-2172.

There are a lot of ifs on the way to a new Minnesota Vikings stadium. If Gov. Mark Dayton, key state lawmakers and the Vikings iron out the details on a stadium package, the deal would then go before the Legislature for approval.

If that happens, and if lawmakers pass the package, it will likely include language sidestepping the provision in state law that would allow Ramsey County taxpayers the right to vote on whether to adopt a new countywide sales tax to help fund the $1.1 billion stadium in Arden Hills.

The stadium package would then go to the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners. Just four of the board’s seven members would need to approve the 0.5 percent sales tax – a nickel on every $10 purchase – for the revenue stream to become law.

As of now, it appears stadium supporters have their four votes. County Commissioners Tony Bennett and Rafael Ortega crafted the original deal with the Vikings, and Commissioners Jan Parker and Jim McDonough have both gone on record as saying they support the plan. Commissioners Victoria Reinhardt and Janice Rettman are opposed, and Commissioner Toni Carter said this week she is waiting to see the details before deciding.

Even a 4-3 vote would leave the Vikings clear to proceed with a publicly financed stadium – including $300 million from the state and $350 million from Ramsey County – except perhaps for the matter of the Ramsey County ballot question.

Dayton is waiting for the Metropolitan Council to finish a study of the Arden Hills site – due in mid-October – before deciding whether to call a special session of the Legislature to take up the stadium.

– Frederick Melo

Bonnie Jackelen of the Ramsey County Charter Commission tries to get a speaker to stop speaking, as the Charter Commission held a public hearing Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011, on proposed ballot language that could go before voters in November 2012, which would ask voters if they favor a ban on the use of sales tax revenue to build professional stadiums. (Pioneer Press: Scott Takushi)

This week, Roseville resident Vivek Iyer stood before the Ramsey County Charter Commission – one of the least-known appointed bodies in the state – and called its 17 members the “last line of defense” between taxpayers and “a powerful special interest group” otherwise known as the Minnesota Vikings.

From the perspective of stadium opponents, he might be right.

The Vikings’ stadium proposal has the potential for a three-way collision among the Legislature, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners and the charter commission. The clash could raise questions about the legal and political authority of each body – issues that some charter commission members say might only be decided by the courts.

Ramsey County is Minnesota’s only county with a home-rule charter, a form of government by the people also operating in such cities as Minneapolis and St. Paul. The charter commission is charged with protecting the charter, the county’s constitution of sorts.

Its members may soon learn the extent of their powers.

The charter commission is considering whether to use its authority to ask voters on the November 2012 to decide a new charter rule blocking the proposed 0.5 percent countywide sales tax for the proposed $1.1 billion stadium in Arden Hills.

Iyer certainly hopes the commission decides to place the question on the ballot. The Roseville management consultant, who joined dozens of people Wednesday at a public hearing on the proposed ballot language, was

following in his mind a series of “ifs.”

If the stadium deal survives negotiations with Gov. Mark Dayton and makes it to lawmakers or the seven-member county board, the ballot process might be stadium tax opponents’ only recourse.

With a ballot question hanging over their heads – even a year out – state lawmakers might have incentive to postpone a decision. Some might fear a public backlash. Others might consider the possible legal action resulting from a deal: Could the Legislature simply block the public referendum process once it’s scheduled and in motion? Could the county board do the same?

And would a public vote next year to ban county sales tax revenue from funding professional sports teams have the power to defund payments to the Vikings stadium already in progress?

The answers to those questions aren’t entirely clear. The Legislature authorized the creation of charter counties and charter cities. It stands to reason that lawmakers – perhaps – would have final say over the extent of their authority.

What little is clear is that the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners alone could not stop a ballot question from moving forward or overrule one once it’s been approved by voters, at least not without legislative help.

The current draft of the stadium legislation states that the bill “supersedes all land use and development rules and restrictions and procedures imposed by other law, charter, or ordinance.”

However, an article in the Minnesota Constitution indicates that county residents can vote to invalidate special laws imposed upon them by the Legislature.

“The Legislature may enact special laws relating to local government units,” it reads, “but…any special law may be modified or superseded by a later home rule charter or amendment applicable to the same local government unit.”

In other words, it’s possible that a ballot referendum in November 2012 might be able to undo a countywide tax if it’s imposed by the Legislature and the Ramsey County board.

But even some diehard stadium foes are skeptical.

The Minnesota Voters Alliance notes in its materials: “It is unclear that the referendum available to voters…would be able to roll back the sales tax ordinance once it is already in place, that is, enacted before November 2012.”

Darwin Lookingbill, the former lead attorney for the Ramsey County attorney’s civil division, said it’s unlikely but not impossible for a county to overrule the Legislature.

“That’s a tricky question,” Lookingbill said. “I think it would all depend on how the legislation is written.”

“The bottom line is the Legislature can always trump the charter commission,” he said. “The Legislature granted Ramsey County the authority to make a charter.”

Charter commission chairman Richard Sonterre declined to speculate Thursday on whether the 17 members would call for a public ballot, as a second public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 11 at the Ramsey County Courthouse in St. Paul.

On June 8, however, the charter commission passed a resolution, 10-3, stating that the body “values the right of the people to choose by referendum and would oppose any effort to circumvent the referendum process present in the Ramsey County Charter.”

Frederick Melo can be reached at 651-228-2172.

There are a lot of ifs on the way to a new Minnesota Vikings stadium. If Gov. Mark Dayton, key state lawmakers and the Vikings iron out the details on a stadium package, the deal would then go before the Legislature for approval.

If that happens, and if lawmakers pass the package, it will likely include language sidestepping the provision in state law that would allow Ramsey County taxpayers the right to vote on whether to adopt a new countywide sales tax to help fund the $1.1 billion stadium in Arden Hills.

The stadium package would then go to the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners. Just four of the board’s seven members would need to approve the 0.5 percent sales tax – a nickel on every $10 purchase – for the revenue stream to become law.

As of now, it appears stadium supporters have their four votes. County Commissioners Tony Bennett and Rafael Ortega crafted the original deal with the Vikings, and Commissioners Jan Parker and Jim McDonough have both gone on record as saying they support the plan. Commissioners Victoria Reinhardt and Janice Rettman are opposed, and Commissioner Toni Carter said this week she is waiting to see the details before deciding.

Even a 4-3 vote would leave the Vikings clear to proceed with a publicly financed stadium – including $300 million from the state and $350 million from Ramsey County – except perhaps for the matter of the Ramsey County ballot question.

Dayton is waiting for the Metropolitan Council to finish a study of the Arden Hills site – due in mid-October – before deciding whether to call a special session of the Legislature to take up the stadium.

– Frederick Melo