A lawsuit filed last week prompted the powers-that-be to temporarily pull the plug on a bond sale that will help fund the construction of the new Vikings stadium. The delay prompted concerns that the opening of the new venue could be pushed back by a full year.
There will be no further delay. According to Janet Moore of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Minnesota Supreme Court has dismissed the lawsuit. The five-page ruling pointed out that the persons who are trying to block the project have separate litigation pending that, if successful, would potentially result in an award of monetary damages.
The controversy stems from the use of more than $10 million in Minneapolis taxpayer funds without a public vote.
Earlier in the day, Governor Mark Dayton raised concerns that the lawsuit may not simply delay the project but kill it.
“All that’s being jeopardized because three people still don’t like the project,” Dayton said. “We’re always going to have controversial projects. . . . At some point, you’ve got to say OK, in a democracy, the project’s got to be able to go ahead, or people suffer, and people are going to suffer the very serious consequences of this project being derailed, and it could happen very quickly if we don’t get a very quick response from the Supreme Court. I realize that’s asking a lot of them, that’s much faster than they usually can proceed. But this is a very urgent situation.”
The Minnesota Supreme Court has agreed. And the Vikings will be playing in their new stadium come 2016.