Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Key Vote Today for Twins-Vikings Stadium Bill
The Taxes Committee of the Minnesota House of Representatives votes on the stadium bill today. As Jay Weiner of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports, passage is far from assured. One Republican said, "I don't know what I'm voting on yet," while a Democratic opponent of the bill thinks it doesn't have the votes to pass.
If it gets out of the Taxes Committee, the bill must still pass the House Ways and Means Committee before the full House can vote on it. The Minnesota Senate will have its first hearings on the bill tomorrow.
The opposition continues to focus on the bill's reliance on tax increment financing. This is especially problematic in the case of the Vikings, who already sell out and whose ability to spend more is limited by the NFL's salary cap. A spokesman for the Vikings whined that TIF "penalizes a successful league and franchise," as though a successful and profitable franchise should somehow have more claim on public dollars.
In the Twins' case, the bill assumes an attendance increase in the early seasons of 15,000 fans/game -- 1,200,000 fans/year -- and a 50% increase in club payroll. Last year the Twins drew 1,946,011 fans; their record, just over 3,000,000, was set in 1988, the year after they won the World Series. The Twins opened the 2004 season with a payroll of $53,585,000, so a 50% increase would push them to the $80 million mark.
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The Taxes Committee of the Minnesota House of Representatives votes on the stadium bill today. As Jay Weiner of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports, passage is far from assured. One Republican said, "I don't know what I'm voting on yet," while a Democratic opponent of the bill thinks it doesn't have the votes to pass.
If it gets out of the Taxes Committee, the bill must still pass the House Ways and Means Committee before the full House can vote on it. The Minnesota Senate will have its first hearings on the bill tomorrow.
The opposition continues to focus on the bill's reliance on tax increment financing. This is especially problematic in the case of the Vikings, who already sell out and whose ability to spend more is limited by the NFL's salary cap. A spokesman for the Vikings whined that TIF "penalizes a successful league and franchise," as though a successful and profitable franchise should somehow have more claim on public dollars.
In the Twins' case, the bill assumes an attendance increase in the early seasons of 15,000 fans/game -- 1,200,000 fans/year -- and a 50% increase in club payroll. Last year the Twins drew 1,946,011 fans; their record, just over 3,000,000, was set in 1988, the year after they won the World Series. The Twins opened the 2004 season with a payroll of $53,585,000, so a 50% increase would push them to the $80 million mark.
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