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Zygi Wilf (MPR Photo/Tom Scheck)

Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf pitched his $790 million stadium project to state lawmakers and business leaders from Anoka County on Monday. Wilf wants Gov. Pawlenty to call a special session so the Legislature can approve new stadiums for the Vikings, the Twins and the University of Minnesota Gopher football team. Some lawmakers support his plan but others are hesitant to endorse the Vikings proposal unless it includes a countywide referendum on the proposed sales tax.

Blaine, Minn. — One day after his new team won its first game of the season, Zygi Wilf told the North Metro Chamber of Commerce that a new stadium is good for his team and good for the community. Wilf told an audience of about 100 people that the stadium proposal will add jobs, improve roads and will bring much needed attention to the north metro area.

"You have a tremendous amount of balanced growth here in this community and I think that doing what we're trying to do here by creating this special special venue will create a tremendous opportunity for the metro north area," he said.

Under the proposal, Wilf would provide $280 million to the project. The rest would would come from state or local taxpayers through a county-wide sales tax of .75 percent; $115 million in state money for road improvements and a financing deal that would direct any sales tax money from the site to be spent on the stadium instead of going into the state's general fund.

The taxpayer portion of the proposal concerns accountant Jon Enstad. He isn't against a stadium being built in Anoka County, but he opposes the use of public money for the project.

"Let's face it. Who's making all of the money in this deal? Realistically, who's making the money? Zygi's not going into this for nothing. He's not dumb, he knows what he's doing," he said.

State lawmakers from the area are trying to balance Enstad's concerns with the chance to host a multi-million-dollar project in their backyard. Prior to his speech Wilf met with several state lawmakers from Anoka County to discuss the proposal. Reaction to the proposal is mixed.

"The whole issue will come down to whether or not there's a local referendum on that sales tax portion," said Republican Sen. Michelle Bachmann represents portions of Anoka County, and is running for the congressional seat in the 6th District. Bachmann says she's undecided on the project, but said her support may hinge on whether Anoka County residents can vote on the proposed sales tax increase.

Wilf and several Anoka County commissioners say a referendum isn't needed, even though it's required in state statutes. Bachmann says many of her constituents are unhappy about the tax.

"Residents are very concerned about the local sales tax. I'll be quite honest: they are very concerned. They feel it's unfair that the sales tax will be paid just by them and not by the rest of the state," she said.

Rep. Kathy Tingelstad doesn't support a referendum on the tax. The Andover Republican says voters can vote her and other stadium supporters out of office if they don't like the stadium plan.

"We haven't had referendums on any other major projects like the Mall of America, the Xcel Energy Center. I just don't think it's fair for a local community to vote on something which has statewide significance," she said.

Tingelstad wants Gov. Pawlenty to call a special session this fall so lawmakers can deal with all of the stadium issues. The Vikings, the Twins and the University of Minnesota Gopher football team all want new stadiums. A new Twins ballpark in downtown Minneapolis would require a sales tax increase in Hennepin County. A new on-campus Gopher stadium would require $99 million in state money.

Pawlenty says he plans on writing a letter to legislative leaders to spell out his parameters for a special session. He says he may call one if legislative leaders can agree on a short, defined agenda. Pawlenty also said legislative leaders also have to decide which stadium bills are considered.

Rep. Jim Abeler of Anoka says he'd prefer to see lawmakers approve all three stadiums. He says the the issue isn't going to go away and the price of the stadiums will only increase if the legislature doesn't act.

"Building costs are going to go up, some say, 20 percent or more. So the longer you wait, the costs will only go up. What is difficult now becomes very difficult and what is was costly now becomes even more expensive. Delay has a price," Abeler said.

Rep. Ray Vandeveer, R-Forest Lake, says he doesn't support a special session. He also wants to see Anoka County residents vote on the proposed sales tax for the Vikings. But Vandeveer says there are some portions of the Vikings proposal that he likes. He says he's happy to see Wilf spending $280 million on the proposal, which is much more than previous owner Red McCombs was willing to pay.