At the CGMC Summer Conference last week, staff lobbyists provided highlights of the legislative and other work performed over the last year and previewed some of the efforts that will be undertaken during the upcoming year. Copies of the presentation are provided below the fold.
Annexation and Land Use
Even though it was a quiet year [...]
Year-end Updates at Summer Conference
Special session to start today at 3:00 PM
Governor Dayton has called a special session beginning at 3:00 P.M. today. The Governor and Legislative leaders signed an agreement that contained the terms for the special session in which they will complete the budget.  Under this agreement, the Legislature will only consider the 10 finance bills, the Pensions and the Legacy funding bill.
In addition, [...]
Potential movement in budget talks?
This morning (July 14, 2011) Governor Dayton announced his willingness to end the shutdown during a speech at the University of Minnesota. He offered to accept the signed deal put forward by the GOP Legislative leaders on June 30 in exchange for the GOP keeping policy provisions out of the deal, dropping the elimination [...]
Greater Minnesota Advocate, 2/7/2011
Throughout the history of the LGA program, there have been many changes to the program’s formula, distribution and popularity. Even so, one thing has remained constant: LGA has been good for Minnesota communities.
Greater Minnesota Advocate, 1/31/2011
Minnesotans often like to think of ourselves as one big community. In reality, however, the state is made up of a wide range of economic regions and sub-regions including the Twin Cities metro area, the Iron Range, the Minnesota River Valley, the Red River Valley and many more. In all areas of the state, the strength of each region’s property tax base varies when compared to other regions and even amongst its own communities.
Governor line-item vetoes $319 million, BDPI funding survives
Earlier today, the governor issued his line-item vetoes of the state’s bonding bill. $319 million in projects—mostly those deemed to have questionable statewide impact—were eliminated from the bill. The governor’s letter to legislative leaders detailing these reductions can be found here.
Funding for the Business Development Public Infrastructure (BDPI) grant survived the governor’s veto pen. The allocation amounts [...]
Updated bonding bill spreadsheet
The capital invesements conference committee released this spreadsheet with its final recommendations. The bill will likely reach a floor vote later today.
