[Mpls] RT Rybak, McLaughlin, Hennepin County Board have Egg on Their Faces on Stadium

[Eva Young]

The Minneapolis City Council passed a resolution that sent mixed signals 
about the stadium.  It would have been better if the resolution had 
explicitly supported a referendum:

http://www.startribune.com/stories/509/5463210.html


On a 10-3 vote, the council said it opposes the Hennepin County-Twins plan 
to build a park with a 0.15 percent addition to the sales tax in the county 
unless legislation approving the deal honors 10 principles, mainly 
protecting city taxpayers from additional costs.

Council park supporters celebrated the passage, considering it a statement 
of conditional support, while others were left to wonder where the council 
stood. Council supporters say the resolution protects taxpayers' interests. 
Detractors, however, contend that the resolution failed to oppose use of 
taxpayer money for a ballpark.

Rep. Brad Finstad, a ballpark bill sponsor, said legislators definitely 
want the city's input.

"I respect what they're doing, and I want to reach out and make sure we 
work with them," he said.

Ultimately, Finstad, R-New Ulm, thinks the council resolution could help 
passage of a bill. "If anything, it will affect it in a positive way by 
answering or addressing the concerns they have," he said.

Sen. Steve Kelley, DFL-Hopkins, and another sponsor, said he expects the 
impact of the resolution to be "slightly positive. It could have been more 
positive if it had not been framed in the negative."

City Hall isn't a player in the county proposal and the council's support 
isn't needed for Hennepin County to raise taxes. But legislative approval 
is required, and some Minneapolis leaders wanted the city to take a 
position, and the middling approach was all that could win approval -- with 
the possible exception of outright opposition.

Council President Paul Ostrow, a ballpark supporter, said before Friday's 
vote: "I believe what we're doing today is what we get elected to do and 
that is fight for our city."

In a confusing move, Council Member Dean Zimmermann, who has been an 
opponent of the county-Twins plan, voted for the resolution. "This fulfills 
all of our concerns and concerns of people who don't want to use public 
funds for a private ballpark," he said.

Council Member Paul Zerby voted no, along with Council Members Gary Schiff 
and Natalie Johnson Lee. "I don't think [the resolution] is consistent at 
all with those opposed to spending city money on a private facility for the 
owner" of the Twins, Zerby said.

Schiff said that, in his mind, the resolution is silent on the issue of a 
sales tax for a stadium.

Zerby wanted to pass a separate resolution sponsored by Johnson Lee and 
Zimmermann that clearly opposed the use of public money. The council 
resoundingly voted down that proposal in favor of the conditional approach.

The resolution opposes the ballpark unless conditions are met, including:

• Preservation of the city's authority for local taxes, including 
collection of the city's 3 percent entertainment tax at the ballpark.

• No negative effect on the city's general fund or the city's capacity to 
deliver basic services.

• No imposition of infrastructure costs on the city.

• The funding of libraries and youth activities in the county as originally 
proposed.

Kelley said there is "arguably some inconsistency between the city 
continuing to collect the entertainment tax but then not having any 
responsibility for the infrastructure near the ballpark."

"If they are going to collect an entertainment tax related to a facility, 
you'd think they'd want to help spruce up the neighborhood," Kelley said.

During debate, Council Member Lisa Goodman said, "Most of us do not like 
the idea of a publicly funded stadium," but she acknowledged the county had 
worked out a deal and there was not much the city could do to stop it. 
"What I am focused on now is what we have the ability to do," Goodman said.

Member Don Samuels said the council members "cannot fold our arms in sullen 
disagreement when we are being pulled along."


EY:  When I talked with Don Samuels about the Stadium at Juneteenth, 
yesterday, he mentioned that the city was trying to get something for the 
city rather than having the stadium boondoggle passed by the legislature 
that ends up hurting the city.  Samuels mentioned a concern for how the 
stadium could negatively impact the area near the stadium.  Certainly if 
you look at the Dome, it's done nothing for the surrounding area.

Governor candidate Steve Kelley seems concerned about the issue of the city 
continuing to collect the entertainment tax without making an investment in 
the stadium.  That's a bit rich - the State is going to be collecting the 
sales tax on Twins Tickets - and the tickets will be exempt from the 
countywide stadium tax, as well as benefiting from the income and corporate 
taxes from the team - all while socking it to the Hennepin County taxpayers 
to provide the funding.

Kelley will be at many Minneapolis large crowd events over the summer 
trying to drum up support for his governor campaign.  People should tell 
him, they don't want Hennepin County taxes raised for this purpose - 
especially without a referendum.  The legislature would have to exempt the 
stadium from current referendum requirements.  So far the Stadium boosters 
haven't made the case for that.


Eva Young
Near North
Minneapolis
lloydletta at yahoo.com
http://lloydletta.blogspot.com

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