In the wee hours of Thursday morning, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed a revised bill approving construction of a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings.
The key change to this bill compared to versions past is that the Vikings are expected to pay $477 million of the $975 million total. The original plan called for the Vikings to pay $427 million, but on Monday that number had risen to $532 million.
The $532 million was "unworkable," according to team vice president Lester Bagley.
The $477 million represents a compromise -- one that the Vikings can live with.
From The Associated Press:
"The Vikings and [team owners Zygi and Mark Wilf] have stepped up," said team vice president Lester Bagley. "The Wilfs have stepped up and made a huge commitment to Minnesota and a huge commitment to Vikings fans."
For weeks team executives had insisted they wouldn't up their contribution.
Rep. Morrie Lanning, a Republican who was the stadium's chief advocate in the House, said getting the required votes depended on upping the team contribution.
"We knew we had to drive a hard bargain and we drove a hard bargain," he said....
As it stands now, the $975 million tab would be rounded out by $348 million in state money and $150 million from the city of Minneapolis.
The plan now must be approved by the House and Senate and, finally, by Gov. Mark Dayton. Dayton's approval, however, is considered a mere formality given his staunch support for the stadium.
Check out this SB Nation Minnesota story stream for more details on the stadium. For more on the Minnesota Vikings, go to Daily Norseman. You can also get all of your professional football news over at SB Nation's NFL hub.