Stadiums: Both sides mobilize for key hearings

04/15/2006

BY DAVID HANNERS
Pioneer Press

The Minnesota Twins’ season is less than a month old, but next week could be big for them — and it has nothing to do with what happens between the foul lines.

A key legislative committee will hold two days of public hearings on the question of whether Hennepin County voters should vote on a tax increase to help fund a new ballpark the baseball team says it needs.

Both sides of the issue are marshaling their forces to make an impression. On Friday, Twins President Dave St. Peter sent an e-mail to season-ticket holders, asking them to dress up in team colors and flood a hearing meant to feature the opposition.

Similarly, the group Citizens for a Stadium Tax Referendum alerted its members to show up at the hearings, particularly one at a Bloomington middle school Thursday evening.

“It’s the first time that there’s been real public access to legislative members, and particularly to key legislative members who are on the tax committee,” said Laura Lehmann, a spokeswoman for the group.

The committee’s approval is critical to the Hennepin County’s effort to get its tax plan for the Twins stadium.

The team currently plays its home games in the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis. The club says it needs a new ballpark, though, to generate the revenue it needs to remain competitive.

In working out a deal with Hennepin County, the team has proposed a 42,000-seat open-air stadium for Minneapolis’ Warehouse District. The county and the Twins say no state funds would be needed for the ballpark, now estimated to cost about $522 million, including infrastructure and other related costs.

To pay for its three-quarter share of the stadium, Hennepin County wants to levy a 0.15 percent county sales tax — 3 cents on a $20 purchase. The question before the House Committee on Taxes at the hearings will be whether the stadium plan should be exempted from a state law requiring a voters’ referendum on such tax hikes.

The Twins want to avoid the referendum, while various groups, such as Lehmann’s, believe the tax proposal should go to the voters.

Wednesday’s hearing is meant to feature the testimony of those who want to avoid the referendum; Thursday’s is for those in favor of it.

Lehmann said her group is concerned that the Twins are “trying to basically subvert the law” by asking for an exemption from the referendum requirement.

“It’s been shown time and again that Minnesota voters don’t want to use public money to fund sports stadium for private owners,” she said.

Twins executives and other stadium supporters say there are legitimate reasons for exempting the tax hike from the need for a referendum.

They contend that a referendum would create delays, and those delays would translate into higher costs. The concern is not unfounded; a few months ago, the stadium project carried a $478 million price tag, but since then, the rising costs of steel and other construction needs have added about $44 million to the entire project.

In an interview, St. Peter said though the stadium bill faces “no shortage of challenges,” he looked forward to the public hearings.

“Certainly, it’s a major step in the process. But we feel good about our bill, and we feel good about the support for our bill.”

If you go

Two key public hearings are slated on the Twins ballpark issue next week:

• 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Capitol, St. Paul.

• 6 p.m. Thursday at Oak Grove Middle School, Bloomington.