Mayor R.T. Rybak is vying for a majority on the council to support his Vikings stadium plan, but his numbers might actually be getting worse.
One council member who hasn't previously staked a position says he's leaning toward requiring a referendum, although it was difficult Friday to figure out how firmly he holds that opinion.
Kevin Reich, who represents Northeast Minneapolis, said he is still weighing mayor R.T. Rybak's proposal to divert existing hospitality taxes to fund a stadium and improve Target Center, which he called "a moving target."
But the charter requirement that stadiums costing the city more than $10 million be put to a citywide vote appears to be a sticking point. That same provision was important for Sandy Colvin Roy, whose insistence that it be honored created a majority opposition to the mayor's plan.
The mayor has said that he does not want a referendum on the plan and will ask the Legislature to override the provision.
Asked whether he feels this plan should require a referendum, Reich said, "Speaking on behalf of city policy? Yes."
"If we're called upon to spend more than $10 million, we have a provision in our charter that states what procedures we have to do, " Reich said. "I'm bound by those."
Reich appears to be leaving himself some breathing room, however. When asked again if the mayor's plan requires a referendum, he said, "I don't know if it does or not."
