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Bloomington, Minn. (AP) ― A rowdy crowd filled a middle school auditorium Thursday night as the House Taxes Committee sought input from people who would shoulder the tax burden for a new Minnesota Twins ballpark.

At times, the hearing took on a sports feel -- with speakers being cheered, jeered and heckled -- leading committee chairman Phil Krinkie to admonish the audience.

"This isn't a ballgame folks. This is a committee hearing," Krinkie, R-Lino Lakes, said. "If you want to go cheer we encourage you to go to the ballgame."

The hearing, the committee's second in as many days, was held in Bloomington, in the heart of Hennepin County. The county is asking the Legislature to sign off on a 0.15 percent increase in its sales tax, which would pay for $392 million of the estimated $522 stadium cost before interest on the bonds.

County leaders want to enact the tax without a voter referendum, as state law requires, and they need the Legislature's approval to have the vote waived.

Laura Lehmann, an Edina resident, reminded committee members that schools need voter approval for new buildings, including gymnasiums.

"We all love baseball," she said, "but do we love it more than we love our country and the democratic principles on which it was founded?"

Twins officials and the county say a delay from a referendum would add to costs that have already risen $82 million in the last three years.

On their side was attorney Jack Carlson, a longtime Bloomington resident. "We all are in favor of referendums. Every two years I vote in a referendum. I vote for my elected officials," he said.

Lehmann and Carlson among dozens who testified. About 700 people crammed into the auditorium, many decked out in Twins gear, and more settled into an overflow room.

With the long list of testifiers, a vote on the bill was doubtful for Thursday night. A third hearing was announced for Friday at the Capitol.

A couple hours before Thursday's hearing, stadium supporters made their presence known, standing in light rain and chanting "Build it!" They added to the atmosphere by grilling hamburgers and hot dogs and eating potato chips. Some fans held signs supporting the ballpark. One sign said "Baseball is an outside sport."

Tony Schmitz, 34, a season ticket holder from Golden Valley, attended the meeting with his mother, and a jug of 2,000 pennies. Since the proposal amounts to three cents on every $20 purchase, he said he figures he's got enough to cover the stadium opponents.

"I don't see 666 people out here objecting, so I've got them covered," he said.

The out-of-the-Capitol hearing was requested by opponents of the stadium tax. They also have called for a bigger contribution from Twins owner Carl Pohlad, who has committed $130 million to the stadium.

"We are here talking about corporate welfare while Hennepin County is cutting social services," said Minneapolis resident Dave Bicking. "Most of you will be voting on a tax that will not be borne by your constituents."

John Zimmerman, another Minneapolis resident, said the tax might seem small but it adds up. He estimated it would cost his family $20 per year.

"I punch a clock," he said, waving a thick wad of cash. "Over 30 years that tax adds up to $600. That's real money that I could be spending putting my daughters through school."

Stadium supporters began testifying about 9 p.m., after almost three hours of opponents' testimony. Twins Hall of Famer Tony Oliva led off, saying a stadium would be a tangible asset from taxes.

John Froom, a little league coach in Crystal, said the Twins are part of the fabric of the community, with players serving as positive examples to kids he coaches and the team's charity efforts helping out in other ways. He and others raised the specter of Minnesota without baseball.

"On behalf of Crystal little league, I say to you guys, raise our taxes," he said.

The 42,000-seat, open-air ballpark would be built on a 20-acre site in downtown Minneapolis. The team has been seeking public subsidies for a new stadium for more than 10 years.

Many stadium supporters and Twins officials have said a new stadium would increase the team's revenue. According to annual estimates released Thursday by Forbes magazine, the Twins' revenues were $114 in 2006, the lowest of Major League teams. The magazine also ranked the Twins 29th out of 30 in terms of team value, with a value of $216 million, up 21 percent from last year.

A judge ruled in February that the Twins have no long-term obligation to continue playing in the Metrodome.

The House Taxes Committee, headed by an ardent opponent of the proposal, is considered one of the stadium plan's biggest obstacles.

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The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission owns The Metrodome.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)