Lawmakers consider bringing Xcel, Target Center closer together

Antitrust regulations currently prevent Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul and Target Center in Minneapolis from working together. However, the Star Tribune says a measure backed by legislators from both cities would change that.

“In these facilities that are built with public dollars, it doesn’t do any of us any good to compete with each other,” Minneapolis City Council President Barb Johnson told the newspaper.

Instead of battling over concerts and conventions, the bill being considered would integrate marketing, promotions and scheduling events for the two venues by 2015. It's still unclear how financing and daily operations of the two crosstown rivals would be combined.

Right now, the facilities "are getting played off of each other," Sen. Jeff Hayden, DFL-Minneapolis, told the Pioneer Press.

"We are an outlier in the country for operating two sports facilities of this size, and we need to be smarter about the way that we do it," added Joe Campbell, spokesman for St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman.