Vikings Stadium Update: New Deal Causing Troubles Already

The optimism surrounding the deal to build a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings in downtown Minneapolis is already being squelched, as the proposed plan is causing issues with the city.

The plan for the stadium is contingent upon bypassing a voter referendum, which Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak is okay with. The problem is, others are not.

Rybak's vision for the funding the plan was to extend downtown taxes by 30 years in favor of allowing them to expire in 2020, which would generate state money, not city money, and there is no referendum needed on state money. Opponents of the plan feel that extending the tax is actually creating a new tax on the city, and because it would exceed $10 million, it would need a referendum.

The council will likely attempt to sue Rybak, Ted Mondale (a chief negotiator for the deal), and the State of Minnesota if they attempt to bypass the referendum.

Kurt Zellers, the Speaker of the House, and Dave Senjem, the Senate Majority Leader, had both yet to comment on the bill.

For full run-down on the situation, head over to the recap at Daily Norseman.

For all of your latest Vikings news and info, check out Daily Norseman, and for everything NFL, head over to SB Nation's NFL home.