Anoka County has accused State Rep. Zack Stephenson of misusing the legislative process to “finance his own pet project at the expense of Anoka County taxpayers.”
This stunning allegation was made in a lawsuit filed against the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) last month. In its lawsuit, Anoka County asked the court to stop MnDOT from making an allegedly unlawful transfer of funds that would cost the county $6.2 million.
According to the lawsuit, the Minnesota Legislature passed a law in 2023 which established a sales tax that funds transportation projects around the seven-county metro area.
However, Anoka County says Stephenson introduced legislation earlier this year that would take millions from the county’s share of those funds and send them to the City of Anoka to fund a pedestrian bridge along the Rum River Dam.
Stephenson represents the City of Anoka and a portion of Coon Rapids in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Last month, he was elected leader of the House DFL Caucus.
While Stephenson’s original bill did not advance in the House, a version of it was eventually folded into an omnibus bill that passed into law in June. Thus, $6.2 million is primed to be taken from the county and sent to the City of Anoka for the pedestrian bridge.
Under the Minnesota Constitution, special laws targeting a single jurisdiction are prohibited unless that jurisdiction approves of that law. Since the Anoka County commissioners have not approved of the fund diversion, the county argues that such a diversion is unlawful.
Anoka County has informed MnDOT that the law in question is a special law which requires the approval of the county. However, MnDOT reportedly said it plans to follow through with the fund transfer absent a court order.
As such, the county is asking the court to clarify that the diversion of funds is not effective unless Anoka County issues an approval. In its lawsuit, the county was pointedly critical of the proposed pedestrian bridge and Stephenson.
According to Anoka County, the bridge “marks the first stage of a dubious boondoggle of a plan to build a whitewater surf park on the Rum River,” the surf park is not an eligible use of the funds in question, and the bridge “would be the third pedestrian crossing over the Rum River within just a quarter-mile stretch in downtown Anoka.”
“Anoka County’s elected officials and voters have no interest in building a third pedestrian crossing over the Rum River when the existing two river crossings are perfectly functional and well-maintained,” wrote Anoka County. “Presumably realizing that, Rep. Stephenson slipped his pet project into a large transportation bill that the Legislature considered during the special session called in June 2025.”
“Rep. Stephenson’s proposal received scant attention from legislators working hard to finish their legislative session and Rep. Stephenson managed to secure its passage,” the lawsuit continued. “Anoka County was not even notified of this proposed legislation in advance, much less given an opportunity to consult about it.”
Additionally, the county said Stephenson “singled out Anoka County to bear the entire cost of his plan” and warned that other legislators could try the same thing.
“If Anoka County can have its county-wide transportation funds diverted to a city that will support a single legislator’s pet project, then so too can every other Minnesota county. Any legislator who wants to pursue a project that lacks the support of county leadership or taxpayers can introduce a similar bill to strip a county of its transportation funds and give those funds to a more sympathetic or politically advantageous government entity instead.”
“This type of backroom politics is bad government,” the county added. “It is an unlawful abuse of power that threatens every single Minnesota county.”
Alpha News reached out to Anoka County, MnDOT, and Stephenson for this story.
Anoka County directed Alpha News to a press release and resolution which state that the county has no intention of approving the diversion of funds. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for MnDOT said the agency has no comment on pending litigation.
Stephenson did not respond to a media inquiry.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
