A sharply divided board voted 4-3 in favor of a resolution asking the Legislature's approval of an extra county sales tax that would help fund the new 42,000-seat ballpark. The next step will be for the county to present the proposal to the Minnesota Legislature. If it passes there, the Hennepin County Board would have to vote again to approve the tax hike.

The hearing took some four hours, then the board debated it for an additional four hours in what was one of the longest board meetings in a decade. An estimated 50 people testified and about 200 people filled the commission chambers for debate and testimony that ran about eight hours.

Opponents objected to the plan, especially to the lack of a public referendum Hennepin County requires to approve the additional sales tax. Supporters argued that the county would benefit from a new stadium and the development that would spring up around it.