Walz presents $887 million infrastructure spending plan at dam battered by floods

MANKATO – The battered Rapidan Dam at his back, Gov. Tim Walz proposed a bonding bill of $887 million that could fix impaired dams and other projects across the state on Thursday.

The governor’s proposal includes funding for a new State Patrol headquarters and $10 million marked for safety improvements at dams such as the one at Rapidan, which was heavily damaged in last year’s floods.

“This is the way Minnesotans take care of our assets,” Walz said.

The governor’s proposal is an early step in the process and comes after the 2024 legislative session adjourned without a bonding bill, leaving some local and statewide projects without public funding.

Republicans responded to Walz’s pitch with concerns about the size of his bonding proposal.

“There’s room to bond for important, bipartisan projects, but this isn’t the time to be maxing out the state’s credit card on ‘nice-to-haves,’” said state Sen. Karin Housley, R-Stillwater, in a statement Thursday afternoon.

The Rapidan Dam made national headlines last year after flooding caused the dam to partially fail. The west bank of the river flooded over the dam, with erosion pulling in a nearby house and destroying the Rapidan Dam Store, a longtime local business. Before the governor’s speech at the dam Thursday, a jackhammer could be heard as workers stripped the deck off the County Road 9 Bridge, also damaged during the flood.

This year’s infrastructure plan proposes $10 million for “dam safety improvements” at sites like the one in Rapidan, along with $5 million for flood mitigation and prevention around the state.

Walz pitched a $982 million capital investment plan last year when Democrats controlled both chambers of the Legislature. A package of projects was approved in the state House but failed to pass the Senate before a midnight deadline to adjourn.

The DFL no longer controls both chambers, and its members have been boycotting the Capitol in an attempt to deny the GOP a quorum. Walz said he does not think these political maneuvers will affect the bonding bill, saying that budgets are not often seen this early in the session anyway.

“Any legislative body, they will wait to the end, no matter how long,” he said. “They’ll get it done.”

Minnesota lawmakers typically put together a package of construction projects across the state in the even-numbered years, but lawmakers have broken from that convention over the last decade. Democrats passed a $2.6 billion infrastructure package in 2023.

Unlike other spending proposals, bills that borrow money require a three-fifths supermajority in both chambers of the Legislature, meaning both DFL and GOP votes are needed for passage this year.

Walz’s plan this year’s includes:

Walz’s visit to Mankato, his former home as a teacher and congressman, also included a visit to the MN Ag Expo, a spokeswoman said.

Briana Bierschbach contributed to this story.