Minnesota governor Mark Dayton is holding meetings this week on a new Vikings stadium and said Monday that he intends to call a special legislative session focused on the stadium next month.
The session, which would run from November 21-23, would only take place if a plan for the stadium is in place. Per Jeff Anderson, Vikings director of corporate communications, Dayton will ask NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for his support for the session.
Dayton met Monday with legislators to discuss stadium issues. Vikings V.P. of business affairs and stadium development Lester Bagley, who said on PFT Live last week that he has heard from other communities about moving the team, said that the team is appreciative of the efforts by the Governor and legislators.
After the meeting, Republican state senator Amy Koch called for no new taxes to help finance a new stadium. Koch wants Ramsey County, where the proposed Arden Hills stadium would be built, to hold a referendum on a proposed local sales tax dedicated to the stadium, but the county charter commission ruled against such a referendum last week. The current financing plan calls for about $650 million in public money, divided between the county and the state, along with $407 million from the Vikings.
If a special session does get called, it is a positive step for backers of a new stadium. There’s obviously a lot of work to be done to get the proposal through the legislature, but anything that forces the issue to be discussed in full is a step in the direction of a final decision.