Minnesota leaders have "offered their cooperation in Minneapolis' bid to host the 2018 Super Bowl, but they've drawn the line on exempting players salaries from the state income tax," according to Chris Tomasson of the ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS. The Minnesota Super Bowl Bid Committee yesterday "officially submitted a bid to host the game in the Vikings' new stadium," scheduled to open in '16. New Orleans and Indianapolis also are "bidding for the game," and the winner will be "selected during the NFL owners' meetings May 19-21 in Atlanta." Two of the five legislators who signed the letter yesterday said that they are "open to the possibility of offering tax breaks for Super Bowl-related events." But both said that it was "agreed there would be no income tax relief, a perk typically offered by potential host cities." House Speaker Paul Thissen said, "I don't think there's any appetite for that." Bid committee members will "meet with NFL officials this month in New York to review their preliminary proposal," and the committee will "submit a final bid May 7." Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority Chair Michele Kelm-Helgen said, "The important thing here is that the NFL knows that the government commitment is there from both the Democrats, the Republicans, the legislative leadership, the governor" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 4/2). In Minneapolis, Rochelle Olson writes it is "widely anticipated that Minnesota will rope in the game sooner rather than later as a hat tip from the league’s multimillionaire owners for its ponying-up to build a new stadium after years of beseeching by the Vikings at the Legislature." Minnesota leaders "see the game as a star turn for what by then will be a bright new civic visage after almost two decades of hard-fought investment in massive projects" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 4/2).
