PHERSY:Feldy, all of us who are Vikings fans were hoping the stadium bill would pass this year, but I didn't hold my breath. In a time when people are struggling to find work, it's tough for legislators to vote on something many view as recreational (at best). Even though the bill was initially written to mainly tax those who would benefit from the new stadium and are most likely to support our pro football team, it's about perception. The perception is that a pro sports team shouldn't be a priority right now. So what made legislators think they could push this thing through in this session?
FELDY: Look at the taxes that would have been put in place. The 6.875 percent jersey tax and the scratch-off lottery game were difficult to argue against, aside from the fact that the jersey tax falls (weakly) under the Gov's mandate of "no new taxes." As for the rental car tax, a $40 per day car would have resulted in an extra fee of a whopping $1. The hotel tax? A $200 per night room would have cost an extra $3. The only thing that made me cringe was the legislators trumpeting this bill as one that will "only affect the people who use the stadium."
PHERSY: Well, at least they're trying. Frankly, this bill looked good to me. Of course, I don't have a vote. The bottom line is we can't let this team leave Minnesota. It will take a new stadium to keep them here, so if that's what it's going to take, it needs to get done soon, but for now, "soon" looks like next May.. Yeah, it stings a little right now, but it's better to take a hit now than to lose the team in two years. The tax revenue (yeah, every time a pro football player competes in the great state of Minnesota, he pays tax money here) and jobs that would be lost if the team left would be felt by almost everyone. Plus, nobody wants to see you cry Feldy.
FELDY: We can't be too upset. The odds didn't look good of this bill passing during this session, but there are a couple of strong reasons that I wish it would've been passed now. First, the cost is estimated to go up at least $50 million by this time in 2011. Second, building a stadium would put thousands of out-of-work laborers back on the job.
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PHERSY:I'm not a lobbyist or a political expert, but I'm not surprised this is version of the bill got shot down. Since the bill didn't pass in 2010, Feldy, do you think the Wilf family will start looking around for another city to host the Purple on Sundays? Or do you think we're still a few years from them getting serious about re-location?
FELDY: I have no inside info, but I imagine Zygi and Co. have already started quietly checking out other locations that might enjoy having an NFL team. Vikings fans should be happy, though, that this whole issue has finally been put in front of the legislature. The big problem, though: The Vikings Metrodome lease expires after the 2011 season, which means we have to count on politicians to get a stadium deal done next May.
