Banana Republic of Spring Lake Park

This little ditty caught my eye this morning.

It’s better than nothing, said Sen. Don Betzold, DFL-Fridley, standing in a ringing Capitol hallway outside a conference committee room.

Included in the Senate’s Twin ballpark latest offer is language that outlines the steps Anoka County and the Minnesota Vikings have proposed to take to build a new Vikings stadium in the City of Blaine.

Under the language — which is nonbinding — all but $5 million from the sale of the Metrodome would go into a football stadium account to be used to pay debt service on bonds for construction of a stadium
for the Vikings.

So let me see if I have this straight. A last minute offer to provide all but $5 million from the proceeds from the taxpayer funded Metrodome to go to a slush fund for a new Vikings stadium. Oops, sorry, it goes to a slush fund to pay for the debt relief for the bonds issued to build the stadium.

But wait! There's more!

Anoka County is authorized to impose a three-quarter of one percent countywide sales tax, without referendum, to finance their portion of stadium costs.

“There’s nothing with any binding affect,” said Betzold, speaking during the Twins/Vikings conference committee Thursday night (May 18), of the language.

Indeed, it’s possible the Vikings, the City of Blaine, or Anoka County could drop out of the stadium proposal by next year, said Betzold.

So the offer includes a tax without a referendum. This, of course will allow Anoka County to accrue the money while the illusion has been given that the stadium deal crashed and burned.

There is nothing on the legislative website about any amendments to this affect yet. It is likely something being floated about verbally. But all of the language is laying around in other bills. Cut and paste and the deal is ready for the Governor to sign.

Typical MO for the legislature. No one's watching so slip it in at the last minute. No wonder politicians rank below used car salesmen and lawyers.

I especially love the Betzold's characterization: “There’s nothing with any binding affect." Uh huh. The state is not binding the county to enact the tax. The county has to do it on their own free will.

This sets up next legislative session for the Vikings. The taxpayers will be told no new taxes will be used to pay for the stadium because we already screwed you over for the tax last year and since the financing is ready and the highway improvment plans have been worked out with the DOT and the Vikings reeeeeeeeeeeeeealllllllllly need a new stadium because we sold the Metrodome and because all the cool cities buy their sport teams new stadiums it's a good plan.

Will this make the floor? Will it pass? Will the Governor sign it? If it makes the floor then my bet is it will be sent to the Governor and he will sign it.