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Senate committee hears bill to bar local cost shares on MnDOT projects; Senate File 285 laid on table
Summary
Lawmakers and city officials told the Senate Transportation Committee that Minnesota’s current MnDOT cost‑participation policies shift large, sometimes unexpected bills onto municipal budgets. Senators heard testimony from mayors, engineers and associations; the committee laid Senate File 285 on the table for further work.
Senate Transportation Committee members on Feb. 5 heard more than two hours of testimony supporting Senate File 285, a bill that would prevent local municipalities from paying MnDOT-required cost participation on state highway projects.
The bill’s sponsor, Senator Nick Jasinski, introduced the measure and turned the hearing over to Chair Senator Dibble for questions and testimony. The committee heard from mayors, city engineers and local government associations who said current policy places disproportionate financial burdens on cities.
Mary Supple, mayor of the city of Richfield, testified on behalf of the League of Minnesota Cities and described the impact on that city’s budget. “Current state highway cost share policies as implemented result in a 1 size fits all approach, which fails to consider the financial capacities of local agencies to pay for regional projects and can consume the finances or debt capacities of communities who largely have no say in the construction timing or design of these projects,” Supple said. She told…
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