Most Minnesotans are aware that Gov. Pawlenty has offered his budget proposal for the next two years. Although many of the details have yet to be explained, one thing is clear: under the governor’s budget, it will be those who least can afford the extra costs who will feel the most impact &045; and a disproportionate share of the pain will be aimed at Greater Minnesota.

Last weekend, I hosted town meetings in Austin and Adams, and those in attendance said they were most worried about the governor’s cuts to local government aid, education and health care. In his budget, Gov. Pawlenty cuts overall LGA to cities by 29 percent, with the impact of the reduction hitting hardest in areas such as ours. The state’s LGA dollars help fund everything from our police departments to our libraries, and it keeps our property taxes low. Under Pawlenty’s plan, many of these services will suffer unless we make up the difference through property taxes. In the area of education, the governor has claimed that his budget will not affect the classroom. However, he proposes cutting special education, compensatory aid and transportation dollars, which means that school districts will have to divert money from the classroom to cover these costs. In addition, the money that districts already planned on receiving through new tax levies was included in the governor’s &uot;increase&uot; in education funds. This means that school districts such as Albert Lea that passed referendums last fall are not going to receive as much funding as the governor implied.

The governor also proposes cutting almost $40 million in funds for children’s services grants, and eliminates medical coverage for many working families and the poorest pregnant women and children. If you are self-employed and receive medical insurance from the state, you will be paying more for health care.I met almost 100 people at last weekend’s town meetings, and nearly all of them were especially worried about these proposed cuts. I share these concerns, and I will be sure to communicate our needs in the next few weeks while the Senate begins grappling with these issues.

The Governor’s proposal is only one piece of the pie; both the Senate and House of Representatives have yet to release their own plans.

Most of the other questions that came out of the town meetings centered on how state aid cuts would impact specific area programs. Concern was expressed that the cuts would cripple or even shut down the Crime Victims Resource Center, leaving hundreds of women and children without a reliable resource. It also was said that Pawlenty’s cuts to the courts, Department of Corrections and LGA will combine to put great strain on the already overburdened justice system in Mower County.

It was brought up that the governor’s proposed cuts to higher education will be detrimental to the students and staff at Riverland Community College. Programs could be cut, tuition will continue to rise, and students may begin going elsewhere to receive their education.

Cuts to nursing homes were also a source of concern, especially in Adams. There was some agreement that nursing homes are overregulated and underfunded, and the system needs reform.

Some of those attending the meetings also offered solutions to the budget problem, suggesting that legislators look deeper into supporting a &uot;Racino&uot; at Canterbury Park, or increasing the tax on cigarettes or gasoline. Several even volunteered to pay more in income tax if it meant saving valuable programs. But the governor has made it very clear he will veto any tax increase, so at this time we are taking him at his word on &uot;no new taxes.&uot;

Obviously, solving Minnesota’s budget situation will be a huge challenge and will require a much effort. It is my belief that in these tough times we are all willing to do our share, but we want to do it fairly &045; without penalizing one part of the state or one group of people to the advantage of another. That is why I want your ideas and advice &045; especially through these next few weeks.

On Saturday, March 8, I will be holding two more town hall meetings: one in Albert Lea at the Union Center (404 East Main), from 10-11 a.m., and one in Alden at the Main Street Grill (127 N. Broadway), from 2-3:30 p.m. If you cannot attend one of these meetings, I can always be reached at G-24 State Capitol, 75 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155, or by calling my Capitol office at (651) 296-9248.

Sen. Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin, represents District 27, consisting of Freeborn and Mower County and part of Fillmore County, in the Minnesota Senate.