KINDER: STADIUM PLAN STILL HAS A SHOT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Legislation to earmark a portion of future state tax revenue for construction of a new St. Louis Cardinals ballpark still has a chance of passage, but only with substantial changes, Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder said Tuesday.

However, other Southeast Missouri lawmakers believe public subsidies for professional sports teams remain a bad idea and that the current proposal isn't fixable, at least this legislative session.

Gov. Bob Holden on Monday said more time was needed to determine if the deal would be good for the state and indicated he might not support the proposal this year. Holden stopped short of promising to veto stadium legislation if the General Assembly passed it before their May 18 deadline for adjournment.

Holden's comments left many lawmakers wondering if further effort on the matter would be worthwhile. Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, said it is.

"It is not a dead issue, but I wonder who gave the order to retreat," said Kinder, adding he was disappointed with the governor's statements.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Kinder sent a letter to Holden's office urging the governor to work with the Legislature to forge an acceptable bill this year. Kinder criticized Holden for being largely silent on the issue since taking office in January, and only now, with time in the session running short, saying the matter needs further study.

"Busch Stadium is going to be replaced," Kinder wrote. "Failure to act now will mean the possibility of (the Cardinals) moving out of the city possibly even out of the state as well as higher costs down the road."

Cardinals owners are asking the state to authorize the sale of bonds to fund a $370 million ballpark in downtown St. Louis. Beginning in 2005, the state would start contributing about $9 million a year for 35 years to help pay off the debt.

The state's share would come from tax revenue generated by the new facility. St. Louis city and county are also being asked to contribute. The team would provide $100 million and the land.

Team officials contend a new ballpark is needed to generate sufficient revenue to keep pace with ever-escalating player salaries in order to continue to field a competitive team.

Other sports teams, including baseball's Kansas City Royals, football's Kansas City Chiefs, hockey's St. Louis Blues and the University of Missouri athletic program have successfully attached themselves to the legislation. Most want state help maintaining existing facilities. The university wants a new $75 million basketball arena.

"The bill needs to be slimmed down, but in exactly what fashion I'm not sure," Kinder said.

Similar legislation is before both chambers of the Legislature, but neither has come up for floor debate.

State Rep. Mark Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, said the Cardinals proposal is a better deal for the state than the one lawmakers agreed to in the early 1990s to build the TWA Dome, the home of the St. Louis Rams of the NFL. The Cardinals have made numerous concessions from their original position, including giving up lucrative naming rights to a state commission and promising to pay all cost overruns. However, Richardson said it isn't good enough.

"I recognize the value of the St. Louis Cardinals to Missouri and there probably is some kind of accommodation I could support," Richardson said. "This proposal goes way beyond anything I think is appropriate."

Richardson said the current House bill "is not going to fly in this body regardless of whether the governor is for it." It would be a tough sell for rural lawmakers, he added, particularly since St. Louis-area residents have been cool to providing local money.

"It's hard for me to commit state dollars from a district 150 miles away when the people right down the street don't support it," Richardson said.

State Rep. Pat Naeger, R-Perryville, said "this is a good opportunity for me to agree with the governor," a Democrat.

Although tax revenue wouldn't begin flowing to the Cardinals for several years, Naeger said the money would best be spent on other needs in the state.

"I don't think this bill is fixable," Naeger said.

In seeking state support, the Cardinals have said an adjoining Ballpark Village, to include privately financed residential and commercial development, would generate revenue that would more than offset the state's contribution and be an economic boon to both St. Louis and Missouri. However, the village is little more than a concept at this time and there is no guarantee it would be built.