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House lawmakers present plan to repurpose ballpark tax in HCMC rescue bid

By Rob Hubbard
The House Taxes Committee and a capacity crowd listen April 9 as Rep. Esther Agbaje and Rep. Danny Nadeau present a bill to extend and increase the current sales tax in Hennepin County to help fund health care facilities. (Photo by Andrew VonBank)
The House Taxes Committee and a capacity crowd listen April 9 as Rep. Esther Agbaje and Rep. Danny Nadeau present a bill to extend and increase the current sales tax in Hennepin County to help fund health care facilities. (Photo by Andrew VonBank)

When the House Taxes Committee hosted a hearing on March 18 on the fragile financial health of Hennepin County Medical Center, the committee’s co-chair, Rep. Greg Davids (R-Preston), said, “Some of the solution may come out of this committee.”

On Thursday, the first proposal for how to help the hospital overcome its difficulties arrived.

Rep. Esther Agbaje (DFL-Mpls) sponsors HF4841, which would modify a Hennepin County sales tax created for the development, construction and public infrastructure of Target Field, channeling some of its proceeds to grants for Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) in downtown Minneapolis and the hospitals of North Memorial Health in Robbinsdale and Maple Grove.

The bill would extend and increase the current sales tax in Hennepin County from 0.15% to 1%, modify the capital reserves for the Minnesota Twins home, and provide authority to the county to issue bonds and acquire property in relation to health care facilities in the county.
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