Lawmakers lay groundwork for Vikings stadium debate

by Tim Pugmire, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — State lawmakers are laying the groundwork to debate a new Minnesota Vikings stadium during the 2009 session.

The Senate tax committee amended a large tax bill today to require the Vikings and the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission to prepare a stadium recommendation by early next year.

Commission Chairman Roy Terwilliger said the recommendation will not decide whether a new stadium will be built. He said the goal is to provide lawmakers with better information on the costs and potential revenues from a new stadium.

"It could cost us as much as $2 million to do this. The cost would be shared between the Vikings and the sports commission. There'd be no tax dollars here. It would be money that would come out of the current reserves of the sports commission. And it would allow us to be more specific on what we're talking about as far as costs," Terwilliger explained.

Terwilliger said the measure is needed to keep stadium planning efforts on schedule.

The Vikings are under lease to play in the Metrodome through 2011.