For the time being, St. Louis County taxpayers will not be asked to support a new football stadium, as David Hunn and Steve Giegerich of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch write. The county was expected to provide $6MM a year in funding, but that plan has now been thrown into flux. As a result, the Rams’ future in St. Louis appears murkier than ever.
A senior aide to Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon called the office of St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger a little more than a week ago. The aide told a Stenger policy advisor that “St. Louis County’s participation would not be necessary in the stadium deal,” according to the report. Stenger is staunchly against tax dollars being used for a new NFL stadium without a public vote. Nixon’s office, meanwhile, appears to be putting pressure on St. Louis County to do just that.
With the two sides at an impasse, it appears that there is yet another major roadblock between the Rams and a new stadium being built in St. Louis. Meanwhile, owner Stan Kroenke is looking to build a brand new stadium in the $2 billion range in the Los Angeles area. His Rams are the perceived front runners over the Chargers and Raiders and a lack of funding from St. Louis County will only push him closer to the West Coast.
NFL owners could pick the winning L.A. stadium plan as soon as May, so it is imperative that the state, county, and city quickly get a financing plan in place if they hope to keep the Rams.