May 05, 2005

MN legislators: Our votes for sale

A group of rural Minnesota legislators have thrown a twist into the debate over the $478 million Twins stadium plan: They'll vote for the Hennepin County sales-tax hike that would fund the park, they say, but only if the legislature first passes a law allowing their own home counties to raise sales taxes without going to the state for approval. It's unclear if this quid pro quo will fly - state legislative leaders seemed cool to tying the two issues together - but the gambit could play a major role in the fate of the stadium bill, especially in the state house, where a tighter vote is expected than in the Senate.

The Twins debate is shaping up as a battle between Minneapolis-area legislators and those from the rest of the state - with the city representatives overwhelmingly opposing the stadium bill, at least unless a voter referendum is included. A newly formed group called Citizens for a Stadium Tax Referendum - they don't appear to have a website yet, but those interested can e-mail organizer John Knight - is lobbying state legislators and Hennepin County city officials to press for a referendum on the plan.

Finally, I have a new article up at Baseball Prospectus on the Twins and Florida Marlins stadium proposals; you'll need to be a BP subscriber to read it, though. (It was also written before today's latest Twins news, when the prospects for a Minnesota stadium looked a bit dimmer, so adjust your conclusions accordingly.)

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