Without rehashing the merits of public financing for a Twins stadium, I have a couple of questions about the plan being unveiled today and apparently supported by a majority of the Hennepin County Commission. The plan envisions a $370 million stadium in downtown Minneapolis, funded $125 million by the Twins and $50 million by the private sector, leaving $195 million for government. I'll look forward to the details, but one Commissioner said on the radio this morning that the theory of the County financing is that the people who benefit from a stadium should pay for it. This includes an increase in the downtown food and beverage sales tax based on the premise that baseball fans who eat and drink before and after games should pay.
According to a Steve Brandt article, more than 19,000 people live in downtown and 163,000 work downtown, according to figures from the Downtown Council. Does anyone have any figures on what downtown residents and workers spend on food unrelated to attending Twins games? Is it really fair to focus a stadium tax on the people who dine in their own neighborhood and on the workers who buy lunch in the skyways? David Lillehaug Downtown Worker _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
