The board has not yet officially approved the Mike Opat sales tax, but spending has to be approved with no secure funding source.
From the MPR website
County board sets timeline for stadium vote
Hennepin County officials say they expect a vote to approve the Twins ballpark sales tax increase by October. But county officials say there is much to be done in the meantime.
The county has to start negotiating a lease agreement with the Twins. Once the agreement is complete, county commissioners will take public testimony at three public hearings likely to be held in August. The board is expected to vote next week to approve spending $5 million to cover some initial costs. The money would be recovered after the tax increase is imposed next year.
However, commissioner Penny Steele expressed concern about where the county would find $5 million if the sales tax increase doesn't pass.
"Stranger things have happened, people either somehow aren't in office or somehow things can happen in a time gap in the world of human beings. I assume then that property tax would pay those $5 million," she said.
County staffers confirmed Steele's assumption. Steele opposes the tax increase for the stadium. However, the supporters on the county board still outnumber opponents 4-3.
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