Pawlenty: 7-county tax for stadium won't fly

Gov. Tim Pawlenty clipped the wings off the latest concept for building a new Minnesota Vikings stadium, saying Monday there is no political support for a seven-county metrowide sales tax to finance a $900 million stadium with a retractable roof.

Such a tax "isn't going to fly," Pawlenty told reporters in response to questions after an event in St. Paul. "The counties aren't going to support it. The people in the metro region aren't going to support it. I'm not going to support it."

Pawlenty also said the Vikings are "in a real pickle" because they don't have a host community where public officials are united in accepting the financing burden.

Vikings officials disclosed late last week that they have begun talking to state and local elected officials about building a stadium in the vicinity of the Vikings' current home, the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

The idea of a seven-county sales tax was part of those discussions, they said. The leaders of the House and Senate tax committees have said the proposal would at least be given a hearing.

On Monday, after learning of Pawlenty's comments, Lester Bagley, Vikings vice president for public affairs and stadium development, backed off the idea of a metrowide tax.

But he said that, at some point, Pawlenty needs to work with the team. And he noted that the Senate last year passed legislation to use a metrowide sales tax to help build a Vikings stadium.

"We are not advocating a seven-county metro tax at this time," said Bagley. "We're looking at all our options. It's premature to select any particular financing proposal. [But] at some point, you're going to have to find something that [the governor] can work with us on," he said.

Unambiguous nix

Pawlenty's unambiguous thumbs-down on the metrowide tax represented at least a subtle shift from the recent reaction to the proposal by his top spokesman, Brian McClung. In a Star Tribune article on Saturday, McClung said Pawlenty would "hold off judgment" on the latest proposal until more details were available, including whether funding could be secured from a private-sector partner.

Late Monday, after Pawlenty's comments on the sales tax, McClung said the governor "just wants to be clear on the front end of this discussion that he does not support a seven-county sales tax increase for a stadium. He's open to seeking other options, but what the governor has outlined is that a successful proposal needs a willing host community."

A partnership between Anoka County officials and the Vikings on a proposal to build a stadium and entertainment complex in Blaine unraveled late last year when county officials found that the team's ownership had approved a study of a Minneapolis site.

Staff writer Mike Kaszuba and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Dane Smith • 651-292-0164 • rdsmith@startribune.com