Will State Legislators Punt on Vikings Stadium This Session? Roseville's Marty Thinks So.

The long-running debate on where to build a new Minnesota Vikings football stadium and how to finance it won't be ending anytime soon.

At least that's the opinion of State Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, as the Minnesota Legislature heads into the second week of its 2012 session.

"I think we will be debating this (the stadium) this year and the following year," Marty told Roseville Patch. "I don't know if it (the stadium) is going anywhere. I think there may be real trouble in getting something passed. If I was counting votes, I think it won't pass."

Marty said part of the trouble is that there is no clear consensus on where to build the stadium, The Vikings have been pushing for a site in Arden Hills (the former Twin Cities Army ammunitions plant) while the city of Minneapolis has offered three sities, including the current Metrodome property, the latter which Gov. Mark Dayton appears to be backing.

Meanwhlle,  there remains plenty of controversiy over how to fund the stadium, said Marty, a long-time opponent of using taxpayer dollars for funding. He has said polls have shown, by a three to one margin, that people oppose any public money going to help subsidize construction of a new football stadium.

"All the talk (about building a new stadium) kind of glosses over that (citizen  opposition to pubiic subsidy of a stadium)," Marty said. He noted that Minneapolis officials have been talking with some legislators to see if there is a way to get state help so the city doesn't need to hold a voter referendum on the project. (Marty said the Minneapolis charter requires the city to hold a voter referendum on any sport faciity of more than $10 million.)

This past fall, Marty and Rep. Linda Runbeck, IR-Circle Pines, announced a bi-partisan proposal to give the Metrodome site to the Vikings in exchange for them committing to stay there for at least 25 years.

Initially, the Vikings called the bipartisan plan  "a non-starter," Marty said. With Dayton now leaning towards the Metrodome as the site for the new stadium, Marty said his bi-partisan plan is a little closer to "being in play."

But the Vikings have remained wary of it, contending they still would like public support, Marty said. "The Vikings aren't interested without the public money," he said.