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Committee hears testimony for rural community endowment fund aimed at towns under 1,000
Summary
Lawmakers and rural advocates testified for Senate Bill 2097, which would create a permanent Rural Community Endowment Fund to provide grants to communities with populations under 1,000. Supporters urged starting the fund now with $5 million; some witnesses recommended a larger initial appropriation or broader eligibility.
Representative Mike Brandenburg, a co-sponsor, told the House Political Subdivisions Committee that Senate Bill 2097 would create a Rural Community Endowment Fund “to get some money so that you can…look at housing, infrastructure needs, parks” for towns with populations of 1,000 or less. Brandenburg said he signed on because he represents many small towns and expects new jobs from a planned data center will increase local demand for housing and services.
The bill would establish a permanent endowment; earnings, not principal, would fund grants for eligible rural communities. Senator Tim Mathern, sponsor of the Senate version and a senator from District 11, told the committee the endowment is a way to “preserve rural North Dakota forever,”…
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