State lawmakers on the House and Senate tax committees will be discuss proposals for financing a new Twins stadium…and It's a critical day for stadium supporters, because with less than three weeks left in the legislative session, they still have no politically viable plan to pay for a new ballpark.
If the joint House-Senate hearings don't begin to generate some consensus it will be difficult to get a bill passed by adjournment on the 19th. Twins owner Carl Pohlad says he needs an answer from the legislature this year for him to assure the team will remain in Minnesota.
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BILL WEHRUM: The proposed Twin stadium has produced trial balloons galore, and Senator Gerry Janacek says it's time to see whether any of those ideas for funding the project will really float. The chief author of the Ballpark, Bill, says all ideas will be on the table when the House and Senate tax committees meet in joint session.
PAUL GOLDBERGER: There will be options of The Canterbury. There'll be options of the cigarette. We'll use the ticket surcharge. We'll use revenues. I mean, there's ways you can get to pay off the bond. It's a matter of now which ones we like as a group.
BILL WEHRUM: Several lawmakers say they sense growing interest among colleagues in using gambling revenues to pay for a stadium, whether from video slots at Canterbury Park or a new state run casino. And that talk has fostered discussions between the governor's office and representatives of tribal casinos who are interested in keeping casino games exclusive to Indian reservations.
But lobbyist Larry Kitto, who represents Mille Lacs, Prairie Island and several other tribes, says it's premature to expect the state's Indian bands to step forward with an offer to build a stadium with tribal funds.
LARRY KITTO: They're trying to shift the burden of paying for a stadium onto the backs of Indians, which I think is unfair and unreasonable. However, all of the tribes in the state-- they're always interested in sitting down and talking with the governor and the legislative leadership about how we can work together to protect our tribal interests. But to this point, all we've heard is talk in generalities.
BILL WEHRUM: Funding isn't the only thing on lawmakers minds. There's a concern that a new stadium will only solve the Twins problems for a few years, and that once most teams have an upgraded revenue producing facility, the Twins will once again find themselves struggling to compete with teams in larger markets. Senate Tax Chair, Doug Johnson, says he looks forward to the opportunity to quiz Twins officials and acting baseball commissioner Bud Selig at his committee's hearing.
DOUG JOHNSON: I think there's a total discomfort level in our caucus that you can maintain long-term enough revenues to make this facility work because of escalating players salaries and also escalated fan counts that have been put into this proposal.
BILL WEHRUM: If the comfort level doesn't rise soon, the stadium is in serious trouble, but still not doomed. The governor has already said he may call a special session for flood relief measures. The stadium could be added to that agenda, but Senate Majority Leader, Roger Moe wants to see the issue resolved well before the end of the regular session. Moe is trying to discourage talk of dealing with the Twins in a special session.
ROGER MOE: I would prefer not to do it in a special session, I don't. Yes, there's some legitimate reasons why you might want to look at something as it relates to the 97 floods, but I don't think this is in that same category.
BILL WEHRUM: The joint tax committee hearing begins at 8 AM, then we'll recess at 11. It reconvenes at 4 o'clock for public testimony, neither the House nor the Senate panel is expected to vote on a Twins proposal until next week. I'm Bill Wehrum, Minnesota Public Radio.