Page 11 of 11« First...7891011

Minnesota Prairie Line

Wednesday, August 20th, 2008

prairie line Minnesota Prairie LineLet’s visualize a bipartisan project, bringing together local, state, and federal stakeholders intent on developing a strong plan with a specific timeline for success.  The Minnesota Valley Regional Rail (MVRR) Coalition is “on track” to achieve that success by 2011.  The MVRR Authority owns a short line railroad consisting of 94 miles of track between Norwood and Hanley Falls, Minnesota.  This rail serves some of the most productive agriculture counties in the state including parts of Sibley County and the towns of Arlington and Green Isle.  The rail handles commodities such as corn, fertilizer, biodiesel, ethanol, soybeans, lumber, and canned vegetables.

On Wednesday, August 20, I attended a meeting of over 100 people in Winthrop, to discuss how a coalition might strengthen support for additional funding at the state and federal level.  Also in attendance were State Senators Sheran and Kubly, State Representatives Morrow, Beard, Koenen, and Seifert, and U.S. Congressman Tim Walz.

The rail line’s restoration started in April 2002.  Rail traffic has been increasing consistently since service has been restored.  The revitalization of the line has sparked additional economic development in the area, including a proposed state of the art waste-to-energy gasification plant in Redwood Falls, creating hi-tech bioengineering jobs and additional economic growth to the region.  Heartland Corn Products expanded their ethanol production in Winthrop.  This rail can be a link to our smaller communities to keep them economically viable and:

  • Keep pressure off our roads, specifically Hwys 19, 14, and 212
  • Help keep food products and other goods affordable
  • Promote environmentally friendly modes of transportation

While there is growing demand for use of the “Prairie Line” as it is called, the track needs some serious upgrades.  Much of the track is made up of 80 pound rail (from the 1880′s) which means the trains can achieve a maximum speed of 7 to 10 mph.  To increase the speed to 25 mph, the rails need upgrading and timber trestle bridges will have to  be eventually replaced, this at a  cost of approximately a half million dollars per mile.  Our small town and communities are a vital link to our larger regional centers.  They provide jobs and economic support which propels our state as a whole.  Reviving the Minnesota Prairie Line is a great example of how we can bring public and private coalitions together for community building, economic development, and rural sustainability.

Posted in Economy, Sibley County, Transportation | No Comments »

School Land Trust

Monday, August 4th, 2008

trees School Land TrustOver 150 years ago, Minnesota received several land grants from the federal government to be held in trust for specific purposes, such as schools. On Wednesday of last week, I attended a joint hearing of the Environment, Energy, Natural Resources and the E-12 Education Budget committee regarding Minnesota’s school trust lands.

Today the state holds about 2.5 million acres of school trust land and about 1 million acres of land with mineral rights. In the past, money generated from these lands has been allocated to school districts, with a general fund subtraction. In other words, if a school district receives $1 from the land trust it would lose $1 from their general fund. In 2008, the legislature permanently eliminated that subtraction. This amounted to additional revenue per pupil. Belle Plaine received $34.2 per pupil unit, Northfield $32.5, and Cleveland received $30.3. Other senate district 25 school districts fell somewhere between that 30 and 35 dollar increase.

Although the future of mineral mining in Minnesota is uncertain, the potential is apparent. For example, three mineral deposits in the Duluth area alone contain resources that could generate royalties of $1.4 billion at today’s metal prices if mined over a period of 20-25 years. There is a dramatic growth in world demand for metals, spurred mostly by growth in Asia and emerging markets.

In state statute: The goal of the Permanent school fund is to secure long term economic returns consistent with Minnesota constitutional fiduciary responsibilities, with sound natural resource conservation management principles.

This committee and others will continue to look for ways to maximize this potential source of income. We will continue to look for ways to provide badly needed revenue and relief for school district budgets across the state of Minnesota. I am excited about the possibilities.

Posted in Economy, Education, Environment | No Comments »

Sibley County Ride-along

Sunday, June 22nd, 2008

sibley1 Sibley County Ride alongToday’s article in the StarTribune regarding the Minnesota courts prompted me to write about my experience as an observer (ride-along) last month in the courtroom of the Sibley County Courthouse. At the invite of court adminstrator Karen Messner and Judge Thomas McCarthy, I was able to see firsthand how the court works and more importantly, get a sense of the workload of our public defenders and the effects of budget cuts over the past several years.

Today’s Strib article described how overworked public defenders face the daunting task of trying to provide quality legal advice to the accused who work with these defenders. The Judiciary took cuts of $26.5 million in FY 04-05, which required our courts to implement several changes, including scaling back the number of public defenders. The Judiciary faces a current shortfall of $13 million for FY 08-09 forcing leaves without pay, closing public counters, closing satellite courts, delaying conciliation court calendars, and terminating arbitration services in some districts.

This year the legislature made cuts to the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, Civil Legal Services, and the Board of Public Defense totaling $5.5 million. A recent Legislative Auditor’s report stated the judiciary in Minnesota runs “a tight ship” and is extremely efficient. Can we afford to make more cuts when crime, foreclosures, sexual offenses, civil disputes, and drug use are as prevalent as ever? How long should we wait to resolve traffic and parking citations, process arrest warrants, enforce money judgments, or process adoption and child custody cases?

The Minnesota Court system is a core function of government provided for in the Constitution. The Judiciary is necessary to guarantee public safety and rule of law to the citizens of Minnesota. The 2009 Legislature will need to take a good look at what is happening to, one could argue, the most important of our three branches of government.

Posted in Economy, Sibley County | No Comments »

End of Session

Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

The 2008 Legislature solved the $935 million budge shortfall using a combination of $355 million in spending cuts, $100 million in corporate tax changes, and $550 million from the state’s Rainy Day Fund. A brief overview of the session:

  • The Education Bill provides an additional $51 per student in one-time aid to school districts.  The bill also allows districts to transfer up to $51 per student from their capital operating funds to help districts put more money into classrooms.
  • The Transportation package will invest $6.6 billion in new resources into our state’s infrastructure over the next 10 years.
  • The Legislature, with an overwhelming bipartisan majority in both House and Senate, passed a $925 million bonding bill, which will create thousands of jobs.  Local projects include money for the Mills Town Trail, the Faribault Prison expansion, and the Scott County Regional Training facility.
  • After a year’s worth of work and bipartisan compromise, the Legislature passed significant health care reform that will result in reduced costs and increased access.
  • Historic legislation that will give Minnesotans the choice to invest invest in the things they love most about  their state:  lakes and rivers, outdoor resources, and cultural amenities. A constitutional amendment will be on the ballot this fall that will dedicate and additional 3/8 of 1% of state sales tax revenue in those unique qualities that characterize Minnesota’s way of life.
  • A $24 million compensation for the survivors of the I-35W Bridge collapse.
  • Homeowners will see property tax relief under the 2008 tax bill.  This includes a plan that would prevent local levies from rising more than 3.9% a year, and investments of $60 million in Local Government Aid which will go to cities and counties to cushion the effect of a levy limit.

This provides a brief summary of the 2008 legislative session.  Other important work was done in the areas of agriculture, commerce and consumer protection, pensions, energy and the environment, higher education, veterans and military affairs,  business and economic development.  I will be weighing in on some of the specifics of many of these bills as we head into summer.

Posted in Economy, Education, Environment, Health Care, Kevin Dahle MN Senate District 20, Scott County, Transportation | No Comments »


Page 11 of 11« First...7891011

Vote Kevin Dahle 2012