The day after a tough legislative session had come to a close, Minnesota House Representative (DFL District 3) David Dill had already returned home and was back on the road the next morning on a 250-mile trip, calling from his car as he headed for more work. “I’m on the fly, but I can answer your questions,” Representative Dill told the News-Herald.
Several bills for Cook County were introduced in the session he said, but several sit in limbo because no tax bill passed in either the House or Senate.
“We’re [the state] running right now and will continue to run on legislation passed last year,” said Dill.
Senior and workforce housing funding impacted
A bill proposed to give the Township of Tofte housing authority powers to oversee its senior housing project didn’t receive any opposition, said Dill, “But because it’s in a tax bill, it wasn’t passed.”
Likewise the tax credit and increment financing portion of workforce housing legislation that could benefit Cook County.
However, Cook County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jim Boyd said Cook County would have been excluded from the workforce housing legislation and the jobs bill entirely, had it not been for the work of Judy Erickson, a lobbyist the chamber hired to represent the county.
“Judy worked really hard to have the language changed in these bills to reflect the population of Grand Marais and Cook County’s unorganized territories. If not for her and the work of the Chamber, Cook County wouldn’t have been included in these bills,” said Boyd.
Dill said Cook County Higher Education will receive $120,000 from the Higher Ed omnibus bill and will oversee the jobs training program. “They [Higher Ed] will provide curriculum and oversight to people who enter and receive on-the-job training.”
As for the county’s request to have the state pay its $163,000 in special prosecutor fees, Dill said, “There never was any appetite to pass this bill. It would have set a bad precedent but I know it left the county in a tough situation.”
No to request for reimbursement for special prosecutor
Both Dill and Senator Tom Bakk introduced bills seeking $163,000 to reimburse the county for the special prosecutor fees incurred when the county sought charges against former County Attorney Tim Scannell for an inappropriate relationship he had with a then 17-year-old.
Legacy funds for Chik-Wauk Museum and Heritage Center on hold
Dill said the $250,000 grant request to complete phase two of the Chik- Wauk Museum and Heritage Center passed in the House and was stuck in the Senate when the legislative session ended.
Those funds will come from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. “This bill also wasn’t opposed and it will almost certainly be funded in the next session or special session,” said Dill.
Boyd said legislation for Chik-Wauk is in the Legacy Omnibus bill, and that will almost certainly be passed in an upcoming special session.
The second phase for Chik-Wauk includes building a nature center, a boathouse, a replica of a rental cabin from over 50 years ago, an administrative and archives building, and a maintenance building.
“Chik-Wauk has been a massive, sustainable success,” said Bruce Kerfoot, owner of Gunflint Lodge and board member of the Gunflint Trail Historical Society. “It is an important facet of tourism on the North Shore and an incredible showcase of the history and culture of the Arrowhead region. We are pleased the legislature has seen this as a worthy investment.”
“Securing an Arts and Culture Legacy Grant to complete this project was a priority for the Cook County Chamber,” said Boyd. “We appreciate the continuing support and efforts of Senator Bakk and Representative Dill in securing these funds.”
Dill said that several hundred pieces of legislation that have been approved by both branches could be pulled from the tax bills and passed during the special legislative session.
These would be bills like the Tofte Senior Housing legislation that don’t affect people’s taxes. However, he said Republicans may use these projects as bargaining chips and they could be delayed until next year.
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