Key lawmaker says Target Field $55 million sales tax extension should wait until 2026

"Wait till next year" is a common refrain for disappointed baseball fans, but it typically doesn't come midway through the season.

But that's the message a key lawmaker in the Minnesota Senate is sending midway through the legislative session to Twins officials and Hennepin County leaders who are pushing the Legislature to extend the sales tax that pays for Target Field's construction debt.

County officials want to continue collecting the 0.15% tax, which raises about $55 million a year, after the debt is repaid. Most of the future revenue would pay for health care access, operations and facilities.

Under the proposal, the Minnesota Ballpark Authority that oversees Target Field would get about $10 million a year for upkeep and the Twins would extend their lease until at least 2059. The team's rent would climb to $4.5 million annually and that money also would be set aside for future stadium improvements.

But Sen. Ann Rest, a DFLer from New Hopec who chairs the Senate Taxes Committee, said in a statement Tuesday morning she would prefer the team and the county pause those conversations with lawmakers. Instead, Rest wants to focus on another bill with bipartisan support that could increase federal Medicaid funding to all Minnesota hospitals.

Rest's statement said she appreciates the work local leaders have put in so far, and "I hope they will continue to pursue a proposal for the Legislature in 2026."

Extending the ballpark tax would benefit HCMC and North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale, which would split about $40 million a year in future sales tax revenue. The money would help the two safety net hospitals pay for upgraded facilities and care for patients without insurance.

In January, the Hennepin County Board approved a $1.7 million contract with Cannon Design to flesh out a 10-year construction plan for HCMC that will cost taxpayers as much as $2.5 billion. County leaders hoped to use the repurposed ballpark tax to pay for some of those costs.

County leaders' efforts to win approval of the tax change came up short in 2024 and it was a key part of their legislative platform this year. The Twins signaled their support in January by signing a 20-year lease extension that is contingent on the sales tax conversion.

With plans for the ballpark tax up in the air, state lawmakers and county leaders are turning their attention to a bill that would make all Minnesota hospitals eligible for better federal reimbursement rates via the Medicaid direct payments program.

County Board members approved a resolution backing the sudden change of priorities Tuesday. They believe HCMC, which is one of the only hospitals in the state to participate in the program, could see an additional $40 million in annual funding.

But Commissioner Heather Edelson noted that expanding the federal program would need to be approved by the Trump administration, which has looked to cut government spending, not increase it.

"I think we need to stay at the table on all of this," Edelson said. "We need something outside of property taxes to support our hospital."

Hennepin County leaders say they would still have time to convert the ballpark tax in 2026. They say the sales tax is not expected to sunset until sometime in 2027.