ST. PAUL (AP) - Before even taking the field for the 2006 season, the Minnesota Twins claimed their first victory Monday as a state Senate committee backed a team plan for an open-air ballpark.
On a voice vote, the Senate State and Local Government Committee approved the bill giving Hennepin County permission to raise its sales tax to build the stadium in downtown Minneapolis. The bill, which has more committees yet to clear, lifts a state requirement that the local tax hike be approved by voters.
"It's time for us to step up to the plate," implored Sen. Dick Day, R-Owatonna. "The Minnesota Twins have been here a long, long time trying to do things the right way."
A new backdrop shades the annual battle, which has played out at the state Capitol since the mid-1990s:
- A judge ruled in February that the Twins can abandon the Metrodome after the 2006 season, although the chances of a near-term exit are considered remote.
- The $478 million price tag tossed around last year has climbed again, by an estimated $30 million. Neither the team nor the county has outlined a specific plan for covering the added cost.
- Every state office, from the 201-member Legislature on up to the governor's office, is on the ballot, which could cause skittishness among incumbents when the stadium votes come.
The House Taxes Committee, a tough test for past stadium proposals, plans to examine the bill next Monday.
Rep. Brad Finstad, the House sponsor of the Twins' plan, believes the proposal has enough votes to pass if the bill makes it through committees unscathed. But he's offering no guarantees.
"The thing is you can count the legislators today, and tomorrow that count might be different," Finstad said. "Every day we get a step closer to elections some of my colleagues are more and more afraid of their shadows."
Finstad, R-New Ulm, discounts the political risk of voting for a stadium plan. "I don't think you win or lose an election on one stadium vote," he said.
Supporters say there's evidence the public tide has shifted in their favor. They point to state Sen. Terri Bonoff's win in a November special election.
Bonoff, a Democrat from Minnetonka, won in a Republican-leaning district. Bonoff came out in favor of the current stadium plan; her challenger opposed it.
Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat, an architect of the plan, said the Legislature seems to be tired of debating the issue and rank-and-file members are ready to vote.
"The issue here is political will," he said. "The question is whether or not the governor and the Legislature are really serious about solving this."
Opat said the $30 million funding gap isn't a deal killer. Broadly, he said the Twins, the county and others would probably end up splitting the cost. The current arrangement relies on a $125 million payment from franchise owner Carl Pohland and proceeds from a 0.15 percent sales tax increase in Hennepin County.
Meanwhile, the Twins might be in a stronger bargaining position than ever before. A Hennepin County judge sided with the team in February in a lawsuit over the Twins Metrodome lease.
The ruling said the team's lease expired in 2003, possibly leaving the Twins free to move. When baseball tried to fold the franchise in 2001, the lease stood in the way.
The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, which runs the Dome, has until mid-May to appeal the decision. But commission attorney Corey Ayling said Monday there are no plans to do so.
Ayling said the commission believes Major League Baseball is obligated to keep a team in Minnesota and the Twins could trigger another year commitment by selling tickets or advertising for the 2007 season.
"The future is very much up in the air," Ayling said.
James Hafner, a financial analyst from Coon Rapids, urged lawmakers to hold out until more private money is put in, citing a recently built St. Louis Cardinals stadium that involved a small amount of public money. Hafner warned the committee not to act out of fear the Twins will leave.
"As a Minnesotan, I know another stadium pitch is always around the corner," he said.
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Twins able to back out of Metrodome lease
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Originally Posted by Saber
