St. Paul mayor not ready to back Vikings in county

Published 6:46 pm Thursday, May 12, 2011

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said Thursday he’s not yet willing to support a new Minnesota Vikings stadium north of his city in Ramsey County, questioning whether his constituents will benefit in equal measure to the increased taxes they’ll pay.

Construction of the $1.1 billion, 65,000-seat NFL stadium at a former Army ammunition site in Arden Hills would be paid in part with a half-cent county sales tax increase. St. Paul is Ramsey County’s largest city; Arden Hills is about 10 miles northeast of St. Paul.

“Whether it’s got a great direct benefit to the city of St. Paul is one of the things I’m going to be asking,” Coleman said. “Quite frankly, a huge chunk of that half-cent sales tax would be generated in the city of St. Paul.”

Coleman said he’d withhold judgment until he sees an upcoming state analysis of whether that tax increase would raise enough to support the county share; and how much of the tax collections come from within the city. He suggested he might propose funneling a portion of the tax money directly to the city, perhaps to help keep parks and libraries open amid likely state budget cuts.

Coleman said he did consider the Vikings an important state asset, and didn’t rule out supporting the Ramsey County deal.

As St. Paul’s mayor, Coleman wouldn’t have direct power to block a stadium proposal that would need votes of approval by the state Legislature and the Ramsey County Board. But his opposition could carry weight in terms of public opinion and among politicians voting on the issue.

The deal announced Tuesday by the Vikings and Ramsey County envisioned a three-way cost share. The Vikings would pay $407 million, the county would pay $350 million and the state of Minnesota would pay $300 million — but would also be on the hook for transportation costs that could exceed another $300 million.

State lawmakers who support the stadium and Gov. Mark Dayton have said the state won’t pay more than $300 million. But a written agreement between the team and the county released Wednesday includes the explicit expectation that such costs should be the responsibility of the state.

“Providing these types of transportation infrastructure improvements to state roadways and interstate highways has traditionally been an obligation of the state,” the agreement reads.

The deal notes that the Vikings’ share would come not just from team funds but also the National Football League and from sale of private seat licenses. The team would also be the beneficiary of private naming rights and from selling private seat licenses.

A cheaper option for taxpayers exists in a stadium offer floated on Monday by Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak to put a new stadium at the current site of the Vikings’ home at the Metrodome. The Minneapolis option would have the Vikings pay a larger share, but team officials have since made clear the Vikings’ energy is now directed toward the Ramsey County option.

Despite the team’s stated preference, Rybak said Thursday that Minneapolis had no plans to sweeten its offer or launch a bidding war.

“Not another nickel,” Rybak said. “We put out a very good offer. If the Vikings choose the Ramsey County offer and that works, they should go with that solution.”