There's a lot of talk about the Minnesota Vikings and their stadium issues, with most of the focus on the four-or-so potential stadium sites. While the Vikings still consider a St. Paul stadium at the Arden Hills site their No. 1 option, Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak has been making a sizable push for his city to house one of the NFL's most storied franchises. There are three potential stadium sites discussed thus far in Minneapolis, and Rybak has been adamant that they're all feasible options.
Unfortunately, while the city of Minneapolis is pushing hard to get the Vikings to commit to one of their three options, there's little reason for the team to actually commit anywhere at the moment. The problem is that Rybak's plan to help pay for the Vikings stadium is not only unclear, it's undergone a whole slew of changes as ideas are formulated and tossed.
Why would the Vikings agree to a site in Minneapolis when there's no funding in place, and the Arden Hills site remains just as feasible due to that fact?
Rybak has put together a funding model, which would provide specifics about how the stadium is funded, generally through a myriad of taxes, among other things. Said model is supposed to be public, at least according to Rybak over a month ago, but it appears the plan isn't ready yet, and that's an issue. This model is more of a series of models that have yet to effectively address many of the issues surrounding the funding of the stadium. It's constantly evolving and changing, and it won't be made public, presumably, until it's approved or at a point where city officials feel as though it will be approved.