McKenzie Martin and Rachel E. Stassen-Berger
Gov. Mark Dayton said Wednesday he would be open to signing a Minnesota Vikings stadium bill before the budget is done.
Lawmakers have introduced bills to get the Vikings a new stadium, but there haven't been any hearings on the issue yet.
Dayton said he has been in constant contact with Chairman of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission Ted Mondale about a new stadium. He said, as he has before, that a new stadium would be "very worthwhile project" and could create jobs.
Dayton said lawmakers shouldn't expect a possible new stadium to be a "bargaining chip" that Republicans could use against him as budget negotiations loom. Finding a workable solution for team, he said, rest squarely with with the Legislature.
"If we don't have a stadium and the Vikings leave, that's their responsibility not mine," Dayton said.
