Three area state legislators met with their Freeborn County constituents to update them on the ongoing discussion of the state government Saturday morning. The participants showed their strong interest in the Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s budget cut proposal and state’s economic development strategy for the rural Minnesota.

About 60 people attended the meeting organized by Albert Lea/Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce.

A drastic cut in the Local Government Aid was one of major concerns of the audience. The City of Albert Lea forecasts that the reduction will be $750,000 in 2003 and $2.6 million in 2004.

“We think some of the governor’s budget proposal is kind of hard on rural Minnesota. The caucus will certainly want to do some negotiating and look at it more,” Sen. Dan Sparks, D-Austin, said.

The LGA cut, for example, can be translated into a $178 reduction for each citizen of Albert Lea, while it is just $23 for a resident in Wayzata, according to Sparks. Sparks stated the Pawlenty’s proposal is inconsistent with his prior promise to balance the budget in a fair way.

“The job of legislature now is to take a look at (the proposals), look for the problems, and massage them and try different ways and different ideas,” Rep. Dan Dorman, R-Albert Lea, said.

Albert Lea’s reduction is considerably higher than Austin because a $10 million police and fire pension refund from the state and use of revolving fund for public projects make the city’s revenue look bigger than its real capacity.

Dorman promised he would contact with the Department of Revenue and House Research and try to fix the numbers.

While the legislators agreed to defend the LGA, ethanol and state programs on ethanol subsidy, healthcare and education, their approach is a little different by their party affiliation.

Sparks indicated a state tax increase should be kept as an option. Though the Senate DFL caucus has not specified their counterproposal yet, Sparks said a three-cent increase per gallon in the gas tax is a possibility.

Dorman mentioned the state budget is growing despite the cut. And essential services will be maintained.

“The next two-year budget will still be the largest budget in the Minnesota history,” Dorman said. “We are not going back to Dark Ages. I think we forget there are still somethings we do well.”

Rep. Jeff Anderson, R-Austin, supported Dorman and said the Pawlenty’s budget plan is much less radical than other states including Wisconsin where the governor proposed a nine percent cut in K-12 education.

Dorman stressed consolidating the tax base through aggressive economic development measures. Dorman said the tax-free zone plan he has been pushing would be the boost for the that.

Dorman also said that with the infrastructure that is already in place,

the Freeborn County area can be a success model for the tax-free zones Pawlenty, who made the original proposal, is aggressively seeking.