Minn. House approves Vikings stadium bill

ST. PAUL, Minn. — In the first step toward a new Minnesota Vikings stadium, the Minnesota house approved a bill to build a new $975 million stadium for the team in Minneapolis. But an unexpected amendment will require the Vikings to pay $105 million more than the originally agreed-upon $427 million contribution.

After eight hours of negotiations Monday, the House approved the bill by a vote of 73-58, a higher percentage of "Yes" votes than originally expected. However, an amendment passed earlier in the day that increased the Vikings' portion to $532 million, or about 55 percent of the construction costs.

But passing the House floor is considered the first major, and perhaps most important, step in an agreement that will keep the Vikings in Minnesota for the next 30 years.

"I think we're all committed to getting it done now," Rep. John Kriesel, a stadium supporter said. "Big step here; we have never gotten this far. So, I'm excited where we're at, but there is still work to be done. We need to get on this now."

Kriesel was cautiously optimistic that the Vikings would agree to increasing their contribution, but there were still a lot of questions to be answered after the House changes.

The Senate will take up its version of the stadium bill in a vote Tuesday. If the Senate passes its bill, the differences between the two versions would be worked out in a conference committee before going back to the House and Senate for another vote.

Vikings Vice President of Public Affairs and Stadium Development Lester Bagley wanted to celebrate the breakthrough and not dampen the mood on an exciting day at the Capitol, in which hundreds of Vikings showed up to show their support, dressed in the familiar purple and gold and offering plenty of chants along the way. Members of the team, including quarterback Christian Ponder, appeared to show their support as part of a rally on the Capitol steps.

When the final tally of the House was displayed on TV monitors at the Capitol, a celebration started with several Vikings fans still in attendance past 11 p.m. Monday, grouped around the House chamber doors singing the team's fight song and thanking the representatives.

"The voices of the people of Minnesota were heard tonight," Gov. Mark Dayton said.

Bagley was celebrating as well, even while disappointed with the amended bill.

"The first hurdle, a couple more to go, but very excited," Bagley said. "There's still some work to be done. That particular amendment is not workable. We negotiated an agreement in good faith that had the team contributing $427 million up front and $13 million a year that was negotiated over a period of months. The amendment that went on that is now in the House position of this bill is not workable."

The original agreement announced in March called for the state to be responsible for $398 million and the city of Minneapolis to pay $150 million of the proposed $975 million stadium. The city also will have to pay $188.7 million in operating costs over the next 30 years. The Vikings will add $327.1 million in operating costs.

Dayton noted there is still work to be done, but he stressed that the House vote came with bipartisan support. In the final vote, 40 of the 69 Democratic Farmer Labor (DFL) party representatives and 33 of the 62 Republicans voted for the bill.

"The key now is to get the bills through the House and the Senate, and the conference committee will have the chance to work with the authors of the bill," Dayton said. "It's got to be a deal that the Vikings are willing to accept or all this is for naught. We have to work it out and try to honor the wishes of the House and the Senate, but also come out with a bill we can tell them and tell the people of Minnesota that this will work."

Bagley wouldn't say whether the Vikings would agree to the amended bill or if they would walk away from the deal that the House voted through. Bagley stressed the need for continued work on coming up with a solution that was agreeable to both sides.

"We just need to keep moving the process forward," Bagley said. "That particular amendment needs work. We'll continue to work on the bill. We got a few days to go, and hopefully we can fix it and make it workable, make sure it's a project and a deal that works for all parties."

At least for a day, a plan to replace the outdated Metrodome survived one side of congress, a step that the Vikings have been fighting over for a decade. The team's lease at the Metrodome ended after the 2011-12 season, though they have agreed to play at least one more season in the Metrodome.

The stadium bill calls for a replacement to be built on the same grounds where the Metrodome stands right now. Building could begin while the team plays in the Metrodome, and the Vikings would need to play at least one season at TCF Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota while the Metrodome is torn down and the new stadium is finished.

After years of negotiating with lawmakers, Bagley is eager to continue the work and hopefully reach an agreement amenable to all parties.

"There's time to work on it and get it fixed," Bagley said. "I don't want to take away from the moment. It was a great day."

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