Cities, counties make plea for slice of big state surplus

This Legislative season may be the best opportunity in decades for a city to get state funding for a project, with a record $17.6 billion state surplus offering some hope for long-neglected roads, bridges, buildings, and other infrastructure.

So will Stillwater get its wish for a new St. Croix River boat dock? How about Blaine's ask for Hwy. 65 safety improvements? Or Anoka's plan to make safety improvements to its Rum River Dam?

It likely will take bipartisanship. A bonding bill, typically used to borrow money to pay for infrastructure projects, requires three-fifths approval in both the House and the Senate. And there's a long list, said state Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul.

The Legislature walked away from a bonding bill in 2021 and 2022, "so there's a lot of pent-up demand," said Pappas, chair of the state Senate Capital Investment Committee.

Some $12 billion of the surplus is "one-time" money, which could be used for some of the one-time projects that cities and counties are putting forward, she added.

State Sen. Karin Housley, R-Stillwater, said she and others will start touring Minnesota Jan. 13 to hear from cities and counties directly. Those with shovel-ready projects likely will get priority, said Housley, the ranking minority party member of the Capital Investment Committee.

State Rep. Fue Lee, DFL-Minneapolis, who chairs the same committee in the House, said the big picture will be about taking care of infrastructure needs across the state.

Here's a partial list of projects in metro-area cities and counties:

County leaders wants $13 million in state funding for the mental health portion of the new jail, including smaller pods for those experiencing a mental health crisis, and a behavioral health interview room and services area.

Officials put a price tag on a few bonding requests, including: $26 million for its anaerobic digester organics processing center in Brooklyn Park and $23 million for Hennepin Avenue bridges. They also want to increase the financial stability of the Hennepin Healthcare System.

Several Hennepin County cities seek the repeal of a law that prevents Hennepin and Ramsey counties from receiving sales tax money collected on leased vehicles. The change would provide about $15 million in additional funding for Hennepin County for roads and bridges.

The county board would like to obtain state funds for Hwy. 36 interchanges at Lake Elmo ($20 million) and Century avenues ($50 million), $3 million for a trailhead and connection to Brown's Creek State Trail from County Road 5 in Stillwater, more money for probation services and county license centers and a state match of $50 million for the Metropolitan Council's regional park system.

A new 57th Street overpass of the BNSF rail yard would provide a safe crossing for pedestrians and bicyclists, reduce congestion on Interstate 694 and improve public safety response times.

About $20 million is sought to finish rebuilding Chankahda Trail, formerly known as County Road 47. With $15 million in federal funding in hand, the city is seeking $2.5 million for the County Road 73/Hwy. 55 Project, which includes a new regional multiuse path parallel to County Road 73.

About $18 million would cover the remaining renovations to a city community center. Voters approved a half-cent sales tax to cover most of the cost. The tax will bring in about $90 million in the next 20 years. The city also is asking for money to rebuild the Hwy. 169/County Road 130 Elm Creek Blvd. interchange at an estimated cost of $19.3 million.

The top priority is state funding to extend municipal water to the Red Oaks neighborhood to address private well contamination. No cost is attached yet, said City Administrator Jim Dickinson.

City Manager Greg Lee said Anoka likely will ask for $890,000 for maintenance and improvements at its Rum River Dam.

The city wants to make safety improvements to Hwy. 65: $18 million to overhaul the intersection with 99th Avenue NE and $25 million for the intersection at 117th Avenue NE.

A project would make it safer to cross Hwy. 13 at Nicollet Avenue, which has seen dozens of crashes in recent years and at least two pedestrians killed in the last year.

The city would like $1.6 million of the estimated $6.8 million cost for the Hopkins Crossroad Trail project's safety and mobility improvements for pedestrians and cyclists. A second request of $725,000 would help cover the $13.5 million cost of the Opus Area Public Space project.

City administrator Tom Lawell said Apple Valley's requests include half of the cost of several projects, including the $8.3 million 147^th Street Transit Station Skybridge project, the $1.4 million inclusive playground project, the $15 million Fire Station No. 2 replacement project, and the $11.7 million Police Garage Operations project.

The city will again ask for a $6.8 million Regional Public Safety Training Facility, assistant City Administrator Allyn Kuennen said. Lakeville has proposed converting its old public works site at 7777 214^th St. into a regional training facility, which has had support from neighboring cities.

Bloomington hopes to build a $20.27 million Public Health Building with state bonding picking up half the cost. The Bloomington Ice Garden needs $15 million in renovations, much of it for a new refrigeration system.

The city wants $75,000 to assist with early space needs, feasibility assessments and conceptual designs for an expansion of the East Metro Public Safety Training Facility, which the city shares with other local governments.

The city has a $12 million request to replace the Wood Lake Nature Center building.

The City Council would like to obtain $12.5 million for two parks along the St. Croix River: Bridgeview Park and Lumberjack Landing, including a boat dock at Bridgeview. The city also wants$20 million for an expansion of its recreation center and $3.6 million for replacement of street lighting.

Staff writers Tim Harlow and and David Chanen contributed to this report.