Killed in a House committee this morning, the bill to build a new Vikings stadium found new life in a Senate committee this afternoon.
The new version incorporates Personal Seat Licenses as a mechanism for raising money beyond the $264 million that the Vikings will pay, according to WCCO.com. Previous plans to use a variety of taxes and to foist bond payments onto the city of Minneapolis as of 2020 have been scuttled.
Meanwhile, the Vikings claimed in a House committee hearing that they are losing money (which could have CBA ramification), and the team declined to answer whether the project can wait another year (which means that it can). Also, Governor Tim Pawlenty suddenly seems to be less interested in the stadium bill and more interested in fixing the state’s deficit, given a Wednesday Minnesota Supreme Court decision finding that Pawlenty exceeded his authority by cutting $5.3 million from a state program.
So while progress is being made, there’s a long way to go -- and there isn’t much time to get something done in 2010. The legislative session ends this month.