Minneapolis Making Bid To Keep Vikings Stadium

ST. PAUL (AP) - Minneapolis leaders are floating a plan for the city to pay 22 percent of the cost of a new football stadium for the Minnesota Vikings at the current Metrodome site and set aside money to renovate the Target Center basketball arena.

Mayor R.T. Rybak says it's "two stadiums for the price of one" and that the Target Center would relieve Minneapolis property taxes.

He says the Minneapolis plan would raise $195 million toward an $895 million stadium through an admission tax on stadium events, a parking surcharge on NFL game days, extending the downtown Minneapolis hotel, restaurant and liquor tax to the entire city and raising the general city sales tax by 15 cents for every $100 purchase.

The team and the state would pay the balance of the costs.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)