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Mankato bill seeks state match to leverage FAA funds for new control tower

Minnesota House Capital Investment Committee (informal transcript) · March 26, 2026

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Summary

Representative Erica Schwartz and Mankato officials told the committee that a $1.265 million state investment would unlock more than $20 million in federal and local funding to build an air traffic control tower at Mankato Regional Airport, which the city and university argue is a public-safety priority.

Representative Erica Schwartz presented House File 4486 requesting a state contribution as part of a larger funding package to build an air traffic control tower at Mankato Regional Airport.

Susan Arnsen, city manager for Mankato, said the airport is the second-busiest in Minnesota that operates without a tower and that an investment of roughly $1.265 million in state funds would help leverage more than $20 million in federal and local money, including FAA grants. "This is really a public safety project," Arnsen told the committee, noting the airport's role supporting Minnesota State University's aeronautics program and emergency medical helicopter operations.

Committee members pressed staff on FAA timelines; the city said it recently applied for competitive FAA funding and that the federal control-tower program set an operational deadline originally in 2027 that was extended in 2025 to 2029. Members also asked about state airport fund balances and whether the amendment before the committee matched the project's request; a department staffer said the state airport fund had an unreserved balance of about $4.7 million at the end of the fiscal year and explained how a $2 million amendment would affect the fund balance.

The hearing record shows active member support noting the project's economic and safety benefits; the transcript does not include a final committee vote on HF 4486.