Last week members of the Minnesota House Capital Investment Committee toured Southern Minnesota to talk with communities about requests they have made for the bonding bill that is expected to be the centerpiece of the next legislative session.
Committee Chair Fue Lee of Minneapolis said he hopes to see a “robust” bonding bill. He said based on the last budgeting forecast in February, the state can bond for as much as $3.3 billion dollars of its own accord, and that is without the roughly $6.8 billion the state will receive from the mammoth federal infrastructure bill signed by President Biden yesterday.
How to prioritize that money is the question, and that is why the members of the committee made their tour. Lee said it is “crucial” to address the needs of residents throughout the state. The only way they can make those decisions is by talking to community leaders and seeing for themselves just what communities are asking for and what they need.
The city of Northfield has requested $7.5 million dollars for the construction of its portion of the Mill Towns State Trail. Northfield Mayor Rhonda Pownell made the presentation to the delegation, discussing the environmental and economic impact that completion of the trail would bring. Representative Lee, a 2013 graduate of Carleton College, said that he knows the area very well. While some requests for wastewater treatment infrastructure or specific economic development projects might sound more important, he said there have been a lot of requests for funding for the outdoors as well, and that is something his committee needs to listen to.
“We can’t really say because of one way or another that ‘Maybe we shouldn’t fund this because it’s not critical. We need to understand that different communities throughout the entire state have different needs, and we need to do our part, and we have to consider all these requests going forward.”
Lee said after the conclusion of the tour his committee will go back and review the requests and what they have seen. He said they expect to have conversations with their counterparts in the senate as well. “We have to understand the critical needs of all Minnesotans,” he said, “and then we need to act on them.”
The 2022 legislative session is scheduled to begin January 4th.
Deadline for CAC’s Operation Joy approaches
The Community Action Center is in its final week of taking both donations and registrations for Operation Joy, the annual program run by CAC to ensure every child in Northfield has a positive holiday experience.
Last year participants received a pair of hand sewn pajamas and a hand sewn quilt, a box of food, a gift card to a local grocery store, chamber bucks, and a target gift card to purchase a gift for each child in their family. Lisa Percy, the Operation Joy coordinator, said recipients will receive a similar package this year.
In the past, toys were collected for children, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic last year the decision was made to provide the gift cards. The response, said Percy, was so positive, that they have shifted permanently to the gift cards. She said the CAC found that most people like to receive a gift chosen specifically for them, and the cards provide a little more equity for older children.
Percy said that since the CAC began collecting donations in mid-October, they have had a good response from both the public and the business community. They have received enough money to purchase the Target gift cards. All further donations will go toward purchasing Chamber Bucks.
While the donations have been good, they are expecting to see an increase in participation this year, just as there was last year.
“Prior to Covid, we would hover around 800 kids. Last year we saw just over 900 kids; it was a 20% increase. We’re seeing an increase across the board at the CAC, including Operation Joy, and so we are incredibly thankful for the generosity of this community to help people through the holidays.”
The deadline to register to participate in Operation Joy is on Friday. Eligible families must either live in the Northfield School District or have a child that attends a Northfield school. Participating children must be 18 years of age or younger.
The CAC is also asking that all donations be made by Friday, as well so they will have the time necessary to buy the items in the packages.
For more information, to donate, or to register, visit communityactioncenter.org, or contact them at 507-664-3550.
City Council will meet tonight
And the Northfield City Council will convene for a work session tonight in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, after first meeting in
closed session to discuss ongoing labor negotiations. The closed session had originally been scheduled prior to last week’s work session but was postponed until tonight.
Among the items on tonight’s agenda, the council will hear presentations on the Southern Minnesota Initiative, and the presentation of the 2022 Convention & Visitor’s Bureau Board. This will be followed by one more discussion of the 2022-23 budget before the topic is brought to a public hearing and council vote on December 7th.
As in all matters, the city and the council would like to hear from the general public on any of these items or anything else of public interest. Those who do not wish to address the council at a meeting can email their councilor through the Council page on the city website, or a comment may be made via the eComment button in the “Agendas” section of the city website.
The open portion of tonight’s meeting will begin at 6pm.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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