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Talking Points: Mpls City Council To Vote On Stadium Plan

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Now it's the Minneapolis City Council's turn to debate and vote on the Vikings Stadium proposal.

The Council's Budget Committee will take up the matter Monday, and opponents insist council passage is not a done deal.

In late March, Mayor RT Rybak and Council President Barb Johnson produced letters from seven of the 13 council members saying they are backing the Vikings Stadium.

But since then stadium proposal has changed and the state's share of the cost has gone down, the city's share remains at $340 million, or with interest over thirty years - an estimated $675 million.

Council Member Gary Schiff, a leading stadium critic, appeared on WCCO Sunday Morning.

"Whichever way this turns out it is going to be on a one-vote margin and that is a very slim margin for such a big expenditure of $675 million," said Schiff. "This is the final opportunity the City Council will have to question our finance staff, question our hospitality staff about the impact of this financing plan, and to make amendments and to negotiate our side of the deal."

The final council vote is scheduled for this Friday.

Schiff says he expects council members will try and make amendments to the current stadium plan.

The catch there is that any amendments adopted would mean the whole proposal would have to go back to the legislature for approval.

You can watch WCCO Sunday Morning with Esme Murphy every Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

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