The bad news for the proposed Vikings stadium in Minnesota is that supporters won’t meet a Friday deadline for coming up with a way to pay for $131 million in road improvements at the proposed Arden Hills location. The good news is that the Friday deadline is meaningless.
It’s meaningless because, as Kevin Duchschere of the Minneapolis Star Tribune explains, arrangements still have not been made for a special legislative session later this month, at which time the stadium plan possibly would be converted into a finalized stadium bill.
“Obviously, it all depends on whether we have a special session the last week of the month, and at this point that’s still very much up in the air,” Rep. Morrie Lanning said Thursday, per Duchschere.
Further complicating matters is the fact that a proposed sports memorabilia tax will generate, on closer review, half of the amount previously estimated. So instead of $17.6 million per year, the tax will produce $8.8 million per year -- requiring the state to come up with another $8.8 million per year.
The bigger challenge in Minnesota remains solving the state’s budget crisis. Absent a new deal, the government will shut down on June 30.
And, absent a deal for a new Vikings stadium, the team will be free to leave after the 2011 season.