Returns on Target Field have been "so robust" it looks as if the Twins' ballpark "could be paid off by Hennepin County around 10 years ahead of schedule" in '27, according to Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Through May of this year, the county has collected $315.8M through its ballpark sales tax and has "shown net collection growth in every year," except for '09. Hennepin County financed $350M of the total cost of $555M for Target Field and levied a 0.15% sales tax to "collect that money to pay off 30-year bonds that were estimated to cost" $675.6M, with interest. Hennepin County "already has paid off one of its liens and refinanced another bond to create" $64.3M in savings. In addition, because of that "robust sales tax return, the county has been able to make a number of prepayments on its bonds." The county has also put the ballpark sales tax to use in "other areas to benefit the county." It will be "interesting to see" if Hennepin County "works to find some way to re-purpose the tax when Target Field is paid off," or if it lets the sales tax expire (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 6/8).
