Vikings will be placing a call to Mayflower soon
The Minnesota Vikings are one of the teams many think that could wind up in Los Angeles. Things took a step closer to that being reality as the State’s Senate Taxes Committee approved a $2 million study, to be completed by January, on how to replace the Metrodome.
Already the study is being met harshly, with the Governor of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty leading the way. According to the Star Tribune’s Mike Kaszuba governor Pawlenty, said this about the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, who pushed for the study with the backing of the Vikings, “I’m disappointed that they would take $2 million and spend it on a study of financing options for a Vikings stadium. It’s been studied 15 times. It’s not rocket science.”
The move by the Vikings and the commision was really stupid. According to the article, state officials face a budget shortfall. Now, add in an additional $2 millions dollas, and you got a really big mess.
The Vikings lease with the Metrodome expires in 2011. Two years ago a proposal was put to a vote before the same committee, and was turned down. Then last year the Vikings had a tentative deal with the owners of the Star Tribune, which the Vikings would have purchased four blocks from the Star, but it fell through. The deal was part of a plan for the stadium to be built near the Metrodome.
Another problem is that on the county level there is no county that is willing right now to raises taxes to help fund the stadium. The Minnesota Twins got help from Hennepin county, which levied a county wide sales tax. The Twins stadium is slated to open in 2010.
The fact of the matter is that the Vikings, and the government of Minnesota is far apart on the issue. Now, with the Vikings doing damage to the State’s economy bridges are being burnt, and a stadium might never get done. Even if a propsal was approved by the legislature, the governor could still veto it.
In the end it was a dumb move by the Vikings, and will come to haunt them in the end.