With the Minnesota Legislature back in session, the Cook County Chamber of Commerce is moving ahead with its 2017 legislative agenda, said Jim Boyd, Chamber executive director.
“Our agenda centers on the unfinished business from 2016; the bonding bill and the tax bill. Secondly, it focuses on workforce development through Cook County Higher Ed and workforce housing,” he said. “Our bonding priorities are for two segments of the Gitchi Gami bike trail and improvements to the public water access in the southwest corner of Grand Marais Harbor.”
Paula Sundet Wolf, executive director of Cook County Higher Education, has been working with higher-education officials in St. Paul and with the Chamber on a proposal that would boost Higher Ed’s state funding from $140,000 to $500,000. “Paula makes a compelling case that Higher Ed and its staff are being extended beyond their capacity to serve the workforce development needs of Cook County,” Boyd said.
The housing initiatives on which the Chamber will focus include: . A workforce housing tax credit that should encourage private investment in housing throughout Greater Minnesota. . Renewed funding for a DEED Workforce Housing Grant Program. This program was funded at $2 million in 2015. In 2016, the Cook County- Grand Marais EDA secured $325,000 from this program to support its 16-unit workforce rental housing project in Lutsen. . Modifying eligibility language to allow MHFA involvement with housing projects that do not connect to municipal water and sewer. Right now, MHFA requires municipal connections before it will either fund or support affordable rental or homeownership projects. In Cook County, that would mean no projects outside of Grand Marais.
Because there was not a bonding bill in 2016, the Legislature will be considering passing one this session. Governor Dayton released his $1.5 billion bonding proposal the first week of the session. This marks the starting point for the discussion this year. Judy Erickson, the Chamber’s legislative representative is hopeful there will be a bonding bill in 2017, but that decision likely will not happen until late in the session, she said.
Sen. Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook) and Rep. Rob Ecklund (DFL-International Falls) are working on introducing bills to fund the Gitchi Gami Trail segments and for the Grand Marais Access. The governor’s bill did not include the Gitchi Gami but did provide a small amount for the Grand Marais Access as a part of DNR’ asset preservation program.
“We go into the session hopeful that legislators will recognize the sensible nature of our proposals and agree to support them. Ensuring that Cook County receives strong representation in St. Paul is one of the principal reasons the Chamber exists. More than one-third of our budget is devoted to that goal,” Boyd said. “In Judy Erickson, we have one of the best representatives available, and in Sen. Bakk and Rep. Ecklund, one of the best legislative teams. So even though no one knows quite what to expect from state and national politics this year, we will do our best to represent the interests of our county and its residents.”
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