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Legislators say they will continue to advocate for local projects

Though the regular legislative session ended Sunday without the passage of a bonding bill, local legislators say they remain optimistic an agreement will be reached in time for a special session next month. 

Several Albert Lea projects are being considered for the bill, including $1.75 million to finish the Blazing Star Trail over Albert Lea Lake, $7.5 million for continued dredging of Fountain Lake and $3.5 million for flood mitigation of East Main Street.

All three projects, plus $250,000 for the Albert Lea Economic Development Agency, were included in a $2.4 billion bonding bill presented last week that was ultimately voted down 75-58 on Saturday. Gov. Tim Walz and House Democrats are blaming House Republicans, who threatened to block the bill if the governor did not relinquish the emergency powers he has used to direct the state’s response to COVID-19. A bonding bill is required to originate in the House, and the bill requires at least 81 votes to pass there. 

District 27A Rep. Peggy Bennett said she voted against the bill, despite the local projects being included, because she did not think it was fiscally responsible and noted it was about twice the size the bill typically is. 

“It was hard to say no to that because we had a lot of local projects in there,” Bennett said. 

She said she thinks it is wise to wait to see how the budget forecasts change in the coming weeks to determine what will be a healthy target for the bill’s size. 

“Bonding is a good thing and we need to do that, but we need to do it wisely,” she said.

District 27 Sen. Dan Sparks said he was disappointed the bonding bill wasn’t passed, but he thinks a compromise will be able to be reached. 

“There will have to be some negotiation between the House and Senate,” Sparks said. “I’m hopeful we can get up there and still get a nice bill.”

He said the bonding bill introduced by Senate Capital Investment Committee Chairman Dave Senjem, R-Rochester, had included money for two of Albert Lea’s projects, the Blazing Star Trail and the East Main Street flood mitigation, though it also failed. 

Bennett and Sparks said they will continue to advocate for local projects and their inclusion in the final bill. 

GOP House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, of Crown, indicated he sees plenty of time to reach a deal, given that Walz is required by law to call a special session if, as expected, he once again extends the peacetime emergency declaration that gives him his special powers.

“The coming weeks will give us further clarity on our state’s financial situation, time to evaluate our response to the pandemic and time to make better decisions,” Daudt said in a statement.

 

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.