March 05, 2004
St. Paul council nixes stadium plan
Turns out the people of St. Paul may not have to vote on a Minnesota Twins stadium tax after all: the St. Paul city council last night voted 4-2 to reject plans for a 3% bar and restaurant tax hike to help fund a new baseball stadium. Though Mayor Randy Kelly could still veto the measure, it doesn't sound likely that he'll get his stadium dreams past the current council. "There's a limit as to how much we can tax people," said councilmember Dave Thune, who introduced the no-stadium measure. "If we're going to maintain basic services, we're going to have to increase property taxes. The kid in me would like to see the Twins here. The adult in me says we can't afford it." The erstwhile competition to host the Twins could now be down to a one-city race: Minneapolis, which has its own financing problems.
