County legislative analyst summarizes 2025 session outcomes, highlights wins and shortfalls for Olmsted County

Jennifer Birquam, legislative and policy analyst for Olmsted County, presented a summary of the 2025 Minnesota legislative session and how it affected county priorities.

Birquam said the legislature passed a roughly $66 billion two-year state budget and a $700 million capital bonding bill in a year she described as fiscally constrained. She reported mixed results for Olmsted County priorities: several requests received positive hearings but local capital projects were not included in the bonding bill this year.

Key items summarized by Birquam: - Regional materials recovery facility (MRF): Olmsted County sought $19,375,000; local projects were not included in the bonding bill and the request was not funded. - Interstate/interchange design (County State Aid Highway 3 and 5/CASA W interchanges): hearings held; funding not secured. - Southeast Regional Groundwater Protection and Soil Health Initiative: $75,000 was included for a study at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) level but the larger $9 million implementation request was not funded; county staff will continue pursuit through other grant channels. - Graham Park Exhibition Center sales-tax exemption: would have been an estimated $1,000,000 in savings to the county; it was not included in tax bill changes. - Mental-health capacity: the legislature appropriated funds totaling roughly $75 million to expand state-operated adult mental-health capacity (Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center expansion funding was split across bills and included capital and operating components); counties continue to follow costs and cost-share issues. - Human-services technology (SSIS) modernization: $35 million was appropriated to improve the Social Service Information System, adding to prior investments and anticipated federal match.

Birquam also reviewed cost-shift proposals that did not pass in their most severe forms and described an advisory council the legislature established to identify savings in long-term services and supports; she noted potential county exposure if identified savings are not realized by December 2026. She outlined changes to shotgun hunting law repeal language that allows counties south of the prior shotgun-only line to adopt local ordinances restricting firearm types for deer hunting.

Birquam said the county will continue refining 2026 priorities, pursue congressional directed-spending requests submitted for the MRF and highway interchanges, and coordinate with county associations on implementation issues.

Why it matters: the session shaped county capital and program funding prospects, affected county service budgets and left several local requests to pursue in next legislative cycle.