The $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure bill signed late last year would provide billions for Minnesota to use for highways, bridges, and transit. But the state match needed to unlock these federal funds was part of a major spending bill that, along with other bills, didn’t make it to the finish line in the last Minnesota Legislative session.

One bill would have helped Crow Wing County, which was set to receive approximately a $300,000 increase to administer state programs. That bill did not pass, leading commissioners to hold a press conference on what would help to move things forward.

Due to the failure of passing the bill, the county received a letter from Medi-Van stating that they can no longer transport nursing home and medical assistant recipients. Minnesota also has a tradition of state-mandated, county-administered programming that requires counties to deliver essential services on the state’s behalf.

This not only impacts the public, it also harms individuals who need the state to fix specific problems. One example involves someone who has a septic system that’s failing and is located on property that doesn’t belong to them. There was a provision in the Environment and Natural Resources bill to allow the DNR to sell this person the property for their drain field, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife is mandating cancelling the lease where it is located, a casualty of the bill not passing.

Crow Wing County commissioners are asking Gov. Walz to urge state leaders to continue bi-partisan negotiations and enact those agreements into law in a special session.

As counties continue to grapple with new mandates, cost shifts, and increase service costs, county program aid stands as the most important general-purpose aid in managing these costs and providing property tax relief.

By — Hanky Hazelton