A new agreement between three key public partners moves a Major League Soccer stadium one step closer to St. Paul’s Midway area.

The boards of the St. Paul Port Authority, the Metropolitan Council and the St. Paul City Council on Wednesday signed a joint powers agreement that sets the stage for lease negotiations.

The five-page agreement states that St. Paul plans to lease 10 acres of vacant land off Snelling and University avenues from the Met Council for a professional soccer stadium. Terms of the lease have yet to be negotiated.

Tom Collins, a spokesman for the Port Authority, said language that would have kept information exchanges between the three partners “nonpublic to the fullest extent of the law” has been removed after critical media reports.

Critics said the language raised red flags about a lack of government transparency in St. Paul, a common theme among challengers in the city council elections this season.

Port Authority officials have said the language was intended to keep land-value appraisals close to the vest, which is common practice in sensitive purchase negotiations.

Government prefers to keep appraisals private because they represent a possible upper limit to what a buyer might be willing to pay for a property.

Under state law, a land-value appraisal becomes public once the purchase is complete.

“The language that makes appraisals not public is when the government is in the business of acquiring land for purchase,” said Don Gemberling, a spokesman for the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information. “This isn’t a purchase. This is a lease.”

The revised document indicates that “the parties agree that they are subject to and will comply with the provisions of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.”

“That should take care of concerns,” Collins said. “We are in compliance, and will remain so, with the Data Practices Act.”

Met Council Chair Adam Duininck shared copies of the revised agreement with his council members Tuesday night, along with an explanation of the changes. Duininck said his goal has always been to clarify the process and the particulars for the public.

“The primary reason for changing the language is that the intent of the agreement is to bring more transparency to the discussions we are having with the city of St. Paul and the Port Authority,” he said.

St. Paul City Council members Chris Tolbert and Dai Thao co-sponsored the resolution — approved Wednesday — authorizing the agreement.

Tolbert emphasized that the joint powers agreement does not commit the city to a stadium, and many steps remain before a professional stadium becomes a reality.

The city council would have an opportunity to vote on a future stadium deal and long-term ground lease once the team commits.

“There is no official deal in place with a soccer team,” said city finance director Todd Hurley, addressing the council.

Ongoing negotiations with Minnesota United FC have touched on general principles, he said, such as how to structure a ground lease, parking, hiring, green space and operating costs.

Hurley said the team is contemplating a stadium with a 20,000-seat capacity, costing a projected $120 million to construct.

The mayor’s office has insisted that the team would be responsible for construction costs, cost overruns, operating costs and other expenses. In exchange, the stadium would remain exempt from property taxes.

“Even though they’re using private dollars to fund this, they’d have to adhere to (city) hiring practices,” Hurley said. The team would also have to commit to certain public uses and youth programs.

City council member Dan Bostrom, who sits on the Port Authority board, told the council Wednesday that responsibility for environmental cleanup, sidewalk construction and other infrastructure improvements should be laid out well before the city commits to a stadium deal.

City council President Russ Stark said the vacant land is benefiting from the public discussion surrounding transit access and other potential improvements on the blighted parcel, which was once home to a Metro Transit bus storage facility.

“Frankly, even if the soccer stadium deal does not pan out, people are interested in having a conversation for that site,” said Stark, referencing a recent meeting of the Union Park District Council.

Minnesota United remains in talks with the city about constructing an 18,000- to 20,000-seat stadium on the 10-acre Met Council property. A redesign of the neighboring shopping center is possible.

In a joint statement, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and the city council announced Tuesday that they are looking for residents to advise the city on how best to lay out the entire 34.5-acre Snelling Avenue “SmartSite,” including the possible Major League Soccer stadium.

The community advisory committee will help guide the work of city staff and consultants as the project moves forward.

In addition to the 10-acre parcel owned by the Met Council, the land off Snelling and University avenues includes the Midway Shopping Center and five vacant acres owned by strip mall owner RK Midway.

“With momentum clearly building for a potential soccer stadium at the Midway location, it’s critical that we ensure diverse community voices are in place to guide the process,” Coleman said in a written statement.

Visit stpaul.gov/snelling for more information.