The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Local News

March 5, 2010

Revised bonding bill includes local projects

Remains well above governor's limit

By Mark Fischenich Free Press Staff Writer

MANKATO — A compromise bonding bill proposed by key lawmakers from the House and Senate preserves — but reduces — funding for Mankato’s civic center project and a railroad upgrade in Sibley County.

The proposal, offered by a working group of House and Senate bonding leaders, makes several concessions to Gov. Tim Pawlenty after he pledged to veto the $1.1 million construction bill put forth by the DFL-dominated Legislature last month.

The latest offer trims the bill to $986 million, still substantially higher than Pawlenty said he would support.

Among the cuts was another $1 million from the $13.9 million requested by Mankato to cover half the cost of building a new theater as part of the civic center complex, along with upgrading and slightly expanding the civic center and All Seasons Arena. The bill Pawlenty threatened to veto had already cut the Mankato project to $13 million, with the proposed compromise dropping it to $12 million.

The offer also cut funding for improvements to the outdated Minnesota Valley Regional Railroad between Gaylord and Winthrop from $6.5 million to $5 million.

 Surviving in its entirety was $1.9 million in design funding for a new building for Minnesota State University’s nursing, dental hygiene and speech and hearing departments.

Many other projects faced more substantial reductions as lawmakers tried to reduce the size of the bill and free up money to add projects favored by the governor — including additional funding to purchase land for a new state park on Lake Vermilion and for an expansion of the Moose Lake facility for court-committed sex offenders.

“Our goal was to put all of the governor’s items in and cut below what the original House, Senate and conference report came in at,” said Rep. Alice Hausman, the House bonding committee chairwoman, in a written statement. “We’ve done that — including all of the governor’s priorities that he’s given us to date.”

Hausman called the elimination of several projects to meet those goals “a painful process” done “in order to get a bill that can be signed.” Legislative leaders have portrayed the bonding bill as the state’s best tool for getting unemployed workers in the state back on the job while improving infrastructure ranging from college buildings to bridges to parks.

Although Pawlenty’s proposed projects are now in the legislative plan, many are funded well below what the governor proposed. The Moose Lake facility, for instance, was funded at $36 million of the $89 million the Republican governor put in his bonding plan.

The overall size of the proposal remains more than $300 million above Pawlenty’s $685 million plan. He has indicated in letters to lawmakers a willingness to accept a bill as large as $725 million.

A call to the governor’s office seeking a reaction to the proposal wasn’t immediately returned.

Lawmakers were disappointed Pawlenty didn’t directly negotiate a compromise bill after hinting he would work to find common ground, said Rep. Kathy Brynaert, DFL-Mankato.

“The hope was for more of a give and take,” Brynaert said.

With Pawlenty unavailable for direct negotiations, the compromise plan is an attempt to show good faith in working toward a mutually acceptable bill, she said. If it doesn’t bring Pawlenty to the table or prompt a counteroffer, the Legislature could pass the proposal — leaving the governor with the option of signing it, line-item vetoing projects to reduce its size or vetoing the entire bill.

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