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Council declines to submit Heritage Village Phase 6 for 2025 state bonding request
Summary
City administration recommended deferring a $3 million request for Heritage Village Park Phase 6 because the state increasingly expects a 50% local match; council directed staff not to submit and to prioritize northwest-area park acquisition.
The Inver Grove Heights City Council on Monday directed staff not to submit a request for state bonding funds for Heritage Village Park Phase 6 this month, and instead to hold available park-acquisition reserves for a potential larger park in the city's northwest area.
Administrator Wilson walked the council through the state bonding process, noting that the governor's proposed capital bill historically arrives in even-numbered years but that timing has become less predictable. Staff said the administration accepts local submissions by mid-June and that while submitting can secure project tours and attention from House and Senate capital committees, the state increasingly expects a 50% local match for projects. City staff said a likely source of that match would be the park acquisition and development fund, which currently holds about $5.2 million before existing commitments and expected receipts.
Wilson said the city had previously secured two appropriations in the 2023 bonding bill for a street reconstruction project and for Heritage Village Park Phase 5, and that the city had requested $3 million for Heritage Village Park Phase 6 in 2023 and again in 2024 without success. "If we submit by the end of the week showing no local match, we will quickly be dismissed," Wilson said, and recommended not submitting this year because the council may need the park acquisition fund to pursue a larger northwest-area park acquisition.
Councilors discussing the question generally agreed with holding funds for the northwest-area park. One councilor said spending scarce park-acquisition dollars as a match for a state request that is unlikely to be successful was not an effective use of resources; another councilor said she preferred to prioritize the northwest-area acquisition now that it appears more achievable.
Councilors therefore directed staff not to submit the Heritage Village Phase 6 request to the governor's office by the June deadline. Staff will report back as the city's legislative priorities are set and if circumstances change.
