1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to sports; requiring the amateur sports 
  1.3             commission to develop, adopt, and implement a plan for 
  1.4             new facilities statewide; authorizing grants and local 
  1.5             bonds; appropriating money; amending Minnesota 
  1.6             Statutes 1998, section 373.40, subdivision 1; 
  1.7             proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, 
  1.8             chapters 240A; and 373. 
  1.9   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.10     Section 1.  [240A.12] [PLANNED DEVELOPMENT; GRANT 
  1.11  CRITERIA.] 
  1.12     Subdivision 1.  [COMMISSION MUST PLAN.] The Minnesota 
  1.13  amateur sports commission must develop a plan to stimulate the 
  1.14  development of new facilities primarily for soccer and other 
  1.15  amateur athletic activities throughout the state and the 
  1.16  submission of proposals for grants to assist with the 
  1.17  development of these facilities. 
  1.18     Subd. 2.  [CONTENTS.] The plan shall include an assessment 
  1.19  of needs, development and financing alternatives, geographic and 
  1.20  demographic considerations, management and use policies, and 
  1.21  standards for the design and construction of soccer fields and 
  1.22  other athletic facilities.  Before the adoption of the plan, the 
  1.23  commission shall hold public meetings in at least three 
  1.24  locations throughout the state to receive comment.  The plan 
  1.25  shall cover a 20-year development period. 
  1.26     Subd. 3.  [GRANT PARAMETERS.] The commission shall award 
  1.27  grants to assist in the implementation of the plan according to 
  2.1   the parameters in this subdivision. 
  2.2      (a) The location of all proposed facilities must be in 
  2.3   areas of maximum demonstrated interest and must be served by 
  2.4   reasonable access to an arterial highway. 
  2.5      (b) Proposed facilities must be dispersed equitably and be 
  2.6   located to maximize the potential for their full utilization and 
  2.7   profitable operation. 
  2.8      (c) To the extent possible, grants shall be made equally to 
  2.9   each congressional district. 
  2.10     (d) Proposals that are supported and funded by more than 
  2.11  one local governmental unit must be given priority. 
  2.12     (e) Priority must also be based on demonstrated need and 
  2.13  future use. 
  2.14     (f) Priority must also be given to facilities that include 
  2.15  two or more contiguous soccer fields. 
  2.16     Subd. 4.  [GRANT PROCEDURE AND REQUIREMENT.] The commission 
  2.17  must establish a date for the submission of applications once 
  2.18  each year.  The award of grants should be made 90 days after the 
  2.19  application deadline. 
  2.20     Subd. 5.  [PROJECT COSTS.] Grants may be awarded to pay for 
  2.21  project costs in an amount not to exceed $100,000 per facility 
  2.22  up to 50 percent of the total project costs.  Project costs 
  2.23  include costs for land, site development, grading, vegetative 
  2.24  cover, water and irrigation systems, fencing, lighting, parking, 
  2.25  and restroom facilities. 
  2.26     Subd. 6.  [GRANT AGREEMENTS.] Grant awards must be 
  2.27  documented and governed by an agreement between the Minnesota 
  2.28  amateur sports commission and the local governmental units 
  2.29  receiving the award.  The agreement must specify the source and 
  2.30  amount of additional funding needed to cover project costs, 
  2.31  ownership, use, and maintenance obligations. 
  2.32     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 373.40, 
  2.33  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  2.34     Subdivision 1.  [DEFINITIONS.] For purposes of this 
  2.35  section, the following terms have the meanings given. 
  2.36     (a) "Bonds" means an obligation as defined under section 
  3.1   475.51. 
  3.2      (b) "Capital improvement" means acquisition or betterment 
  3.3   of public lands, buildings, or other improvements within the 
  3.4   county for the purpose of a county courthouse, administrative 
  3.5   building, health or social service facility, correctional 
  3.6   facility, jail, law enforcement center, hospital, morgue, 
  3.7   library, park, qualified indoor ice arena, and roads and 
  3.8   bridges.  An improvement must have an expected useful life of 
  3.9   five years or more to qualify. "Capital improvement" does not 
  3.10  include light rail transit or any activity related to it or a 
  3.11  recreation or sports facility building (such as, but not limited 
  3.12  to, a gymnasium, ice arena, racquet sports facility, swimming 
  3.13  pool, exercise room or health spa), unless the building is part 
  3.14  of an outdoor park facility and is incidental to the primary 
  3.15  purpose of outdoor recreation. 
  3.16     (c) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of trade and 
  3.17  economic development. 
  3.18     (d) "Metropolitan county" means a county located in the 
  3.19  seven-county metropolitan area as defined in section 473.121 or 
  3.20  a county with a population of 90,000 or more. 
  3.21     (e) "Population" means the population established by the 
  3.22  most recent of the following (determined as of the date the 
  3.23  resolution authorizing the bonds was adopted): 
  3.24     (1) the federal decennial census, 
  3.25     (2) a special census conducted under contract by the United 
  3.26  States Bureau of the Census, or 
  3.27     (3) a population estimate made either by the metropolitan 
  3.28  council or by the state demographer under section 4A.02. 
  3.29     (f) "Qualified indoor ice arena" means a facility that 
  3.30  meets the requirements of section 373.43. 
  3.31     (g) "Qualified amateur athletic facility" means a facility 
  3.32  that meets the conditions of section 5. 
  3.33     (h) "Tax capacity" means total taxable market value, but 
  3.34  does not include captured market value. 
  3.35     Sec. 3.  [373.45] [FINANCING AUTHORITY; AMATEUR ATHLETIC 
  3.36  FACILITIES.] 
  4.1      (a) A county may issue and sell its general obligations 
  4.2   under chapter 475 to finance the acquisition and construction of 
  4.3   a qualified amateur athletic facility intended to be used 
  4.4   predominantly for youth athletic activities if all the 
  4.5   conditions in this section are met. 
  4.6      (b) The obligations must be secured by a pledge of revenues 
  4.7   from the facility and the county must have a qualified agreement.
  4.8      (c) A "qualified agreement" means a joint powers agreement 
  4.9   with the school district or the city in which the facility is 
  4.10  located that governs ownership, operation, and maintenance of 
  4.11  the facility or an agreement with a nonprofit corporation, 
  4.12  qualifying under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code 
  4.13  of 1986, that provides that the corporation will operate, 
  4.14  manage, and maintain the facility; or a combination of the two. 
  4.15     (d) A qualified agreement must provide that all parties 
  4.16  must pay the principal and interest on obligations, if the 
  4.17  revenues for the facility are insufficient to pay in full or in 
  4.18  part the principal and interest on obligations. 
  4.19     (e) The county board must find, based on analysis provided 
  4.20  by a professional experienced in finance, that the facility's 
  4.21  revenues and other available money will be sufficient to pay the 
  4.22  obligations, without reliance on a property tax levy or the 
  4.23  general purpose state aid of the county or any party to a joint 
  4.24  powers agreement. 
  4.25     Sec. 4.  [373.46] [REVENUE FINANCING; AMATEUR ATHLETIC 
  4.26  FACILITIES.] 
  4.27     For the purpose of acquiring, leasing, equipping, and 
  4.28  maintaining land or buildings for use as a qualified amateur 
  4.29  athletic facility as defined in section 373.45, a county has the 
  4.30  same authority and powers granted to a city by section 471.191. 
  4.31     Sec. 5.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  4.32     $2,900,000 is appropriated in fiscal year 2000 from the 
  4.33  general fund to the Minnesota amateur sports commission to 
  4.34  provide grants for amateur athletic facilities pursuant to 
  4.35  Minnesota Statutes, section 240A.12.