No St. Louis County projects included in bonding bill

Upon completion of Minnesota’s Special Legislative Session, St. Louis County leaders are reflecting on what they consider wins and losses.

The County Board met Tuesday morning for post-session discussion.

“As the state looked to reduce spending, we worked to ensure their actions didn’t simply transfer costs to counties and our taxpayers,” said County Administrator Kevin Gray in a statement. “In that, we and other counties achieved some success. The Tax Bill does not include any cuts to County Program Aid or Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT), and the final Human Services Bill did not include some concerning cost shifts that had been proposed.”

In a statement, County Board Chair Annie Harala added, “We appreciate legislators listening to our concerns regarding the significant impact any cuts would have as we work to provide the services the state requires us to do and that our citizens expect.”

The County says no local projects were included in the bonding bill. It does, however, include state investment in the Local Road Improvement, Bridge Replacement, and Wetland Replacement Programs.

“We appreciate the State continuing to fund these key programs,” said Commissioner Paul McDonald, who chairs the County’s Intergovernmental Committee. “In a county with 3,000 miles of roads and 600 bridges, these programs are critically important in helping us maintain a safe infrastructure.”

McDonald says he is committed to working with legislators to address bonding needs on priority projects, including a new solid waste management campus in Canyon that would serve the entire region.

“We will continue to analyze potential impacts of other legislation approved during yesterday’s fast-paced session,” says County Administrator Gray. “Likewise, we are monitoring impacts from federal legislation and actions that could come this fall. These are challenging times for all levels of government as we face inflationary pressures and seek to find balance between investments in critical infrastructure and other services while also doing all that we can to lessen the tax impact on our citizens and businesses.”