As the final weeks of the legislative session unfold, look for bits of bacon in the final budget negotiations. Pork projects are ones that should be funded at the local level, but state-funding is sought instead to alleviate the local tax burden. These projects important enough to local legislators that they may be willing to sign onto a larger bill previously considered unpalatable. Some of the requests could end up in a bonding bill, which is likely this session.
Here are a few of the requests floating around St. Paul along with the bills’ chief authors:
$3.3 million for construction of the Wagon Wheel Trail in La Crescent HF’s 2187 & 2188, Rep Greg Davids, R-Preston & SF’s 2052 & 2053 Sen Jeremy Miller, R-Winona
$189,000 for an accessible and inclusive playground in Woodbury, HF 2183 Rep Kelly Fenton, R-Woodbury & SF 2032, Sen Susan Kent, D-Woodbury
$9,560,000 for a new transit center on Lake Street in Minneapolis, HF 1137, Rep Frank Hornstein, D-Minneapolis & SF 1600, Sen Scott Dibble, D-Minneapolis
$2,000,000 to build a learning center for the Coon Creek Watershed District in Anoka County HF 2271, Rep Jerry Newton, D-Coon Rapids & SF 2140 Sen John Hoffman, D-Champlin
$875,000 to renovate the Itasca Civic Center in Grand Rapids, HF 1347, Rep Tom Anzelc, D-Balsam Township & SF 1347, Sen Tom Saxhaug, D-Grand Rapids
$250,000 to renovate the city pool in Parkers Prairie, HF 92, Rep Bud Nornes, R-Fergus Falls & SF 68, Sen Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria
$2.1 million for the City of Plymouth Ice Center renovation, HF 913 Rep Lyndon Carlson, D-Crystal & SF 879, Sen Terri Bonoff, D-Minnetonka
$4 million for a recreation center in Corcoran, HF 1877 Rep Jerry Hertaus, R-Greenfield & SF 1715 Sen Dave Osmek, R-Mound
$12 million to recreate Hall’s Island in Minneapolis HF 1685 Rep Diane Loeffler, D-Minneapolis & SF 1685 Sen Kari Dziedzic, D-Minneapolis
$38 million for a new community center in Golden Valley, HF 1042, Rep Ryan Winkler, D-Golden Valley & SF 1177, Sen Ron Latz-D, St. Louis Park