MICA briefs Carver County on transportation funding, human services technology and county finances

Minnesota Intercounty Association representatives presented an overview of 2025 legislative outcomes and priorities to the Carver County Board of Commissioners during the board's regular session; the presentation focused on transportation funding, human services systems modernization, county program aid and solid‑waste policy.

The MICA delegation — introduced by Micah, a MICA representative, and with program leads Amber Backus (transportation), Nancy Soleski (public health and human services), Emilio Lamba (public safety and corrections policy analyst) and Rachel Sysnowjik (environment) — summarized session results and flagged likely 2026 issues for counties.

MICA framed the session as mixed: lawmakers provided one‑time and targeted increases in several areas but also left structural fiscal questions unresolved. Amber Backus said the transportation committees faced pressure from a multi‑billion‑dollar projected shortfall and related general‑fund cuts; she thanked local staff and noted targeted wins that reduce permitting and local construction costs. "We were successful in getting new dollars into the local government road wetland replacement program," Backus said, noting $8 million in new funding split as $3 million from the general fund and $5 million in the bonding bill to buy wetland mitigation credits and build wetlands to speed road projects.

On local road aid, Backus said the bonding bill included $42 million for the Local Road Improvement Program and additional funding for the Local Bridge Rehabilitation Program; counties can apply for those grants and Metropolitan (metro) counties, including Carver, will have a lower maximum share of some funds than nonmetro counties. She warned that the debate over dedicating metro sales tax receipts and trunk‑highway dollars for transit will likely resume in 2026.

On human services, Nancy Soleski told commissioners the legislature funded SSIS modernization in 2025 with a $35 million appropriation (adding to $10 million from a prior year) intended to replace legacy technology. "This will hopefully now be able to draw down the federal funds and get going," Soleski said, while cautioning that procurement and rollout timelines mean local agencies should expect a gradual transition.

Soleski also outlined changes to MNChoices reassessments (longer abbreviated reassessment cycles and expanded use of remote reassessments) and described a package of funding and facility investments for state psychiatric treatment capacity: $20 million for immediate AMRTC campus needs plus $55 million in bonding to create about 50 additional beds. She noted, however, that counties will resume paying a previously paused cost share for some committed patients, estimating an added county obligation in the upcoming biennia.

Emilio Lamba reviewed criminal justice and corrections items. He said counties won a two‑year delay in eliminating probation supervision fees and achieved a three‑year averaging amendment to the community supervision formula, changes designed to stabilize county revenue and budgeting during population shifts in probation caseloads. He also described continuing concerns about medical administration rules for jails tied to the Larry Hill Medical Reform Act and the fiscal impacts of prison facility changes at the state level.

Rachel Sysnowjik summarized environment and solid‑waste developments. She said implementation work continues on product‑stewardship packaging legislation and that stakeholders are refining battery and electronics stewardship proposals that did not pass in 2025. Sysnowjik called SCORE (the state solid‑waste tax/grant framework) and capital assistance for recycling and landfill upgrades central 2026 issues and urged preparedness for bonding conversations.

MICA also provided county‑level fiscal context for Carver: Micah and staff showed Carver's tax base remains heavily residential compared with other collar counties and explained that Carver’s County Program Aid (CPA) will increase modestly in 2026 (about $800,000 for Carver) largely because of tax‑base equalization. Micah told commissioners the tax‑base equalization component for Carver in 2026 is about $4.0 million and, under current formulas, could not fall below about $3.8 million in 2027 barring statutory change.

Commissioners asked technical questions and urged MICA to press for additional state support in areas counties see as unfunded mandates — for example, HHS workloads tied to federal eligibility changes, shortfalls in ambulance and EMS funding, and the long‑running SSIS modernization. Commissioner John Uterman (Commissioner, Carver County) said, "Commercial and industrial properties over time pay more in tax pound for pound and use less services," urging the county and MICA to model long‑range fiscal impacts of continued residential growth.

MICA concluded by recommending 2026 be treated as a year to reset narratives at the Capitol: defend county transportation dollars, press for targeted bonding and capital grants for local road and recycling infrastructure, track implementation of SSIS funding, and seek clarity and resources for human services mandates.

The MICA update was informational; the board took no formal vote on policy recommendations. MICA said it will return to the board with a draft 2026 county legislative platform for review before the 2026 session convenes.