ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota lawmakers working out a final Vikings stadium bill must decide how much money the team should put into the $975 million proposal.
Both the House and Senate were standing by Wednesday for the final product of a conference committee that by late afternoon had yet to meet.
The $427 million figure was "set in stone," Vikings Vice President Lester Bagley said as recently as last week.
The Vikings were closer than ever to a replacement for the 30-year-old Metrodome, but big hurdles remained. Both the House and Senate this week passed bills raising the team's $427 million contribution — by $105 million in the House, $25 million in the Senate.
Throughout the franchise's latest push for a publicly subsidized football stadium, team executives insisted they wouldn't pay more. The $427 million figure was "set in stone," Vikings Vice President Lester Bagley said as recently as last week.
But in convincing votes, lawmakers went on record demanding that the Vikings and private partners foot a bigger share of construction costs. It's part of a broader skirmish over how much, if any, tax money should benefit a private enterprise owned by wealthy New Jersey developer Zygi Wilf.
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