Commissioners Make Lobbying Trip to State Capital

During the last week of February, several county commissioners from the Arrowhead Re­gion pounded the hallways of the State Capital. They buttonholed Senators and Representatives to ensure that issues of northeastern Minnesota were heard.

They presented an extensive list of Cook, Lake, and St. Louis County priorities, requests, and concerns. They met with Senator Grant Hauschild (DFL) in his office. Due to the ongo­ing construction of the legislative building, they moved on to meet with Representative Skraba (R) in the basement of the Capital.

According to Cook County Commission Chair Ginny Sorlie, Dist 50, there were four ar­eas the commission agrees are the pressing con­cerns and priorities brought to the Legislature.

1. Public Health & Human Services–Mental health services are not sufficiently funded, which strains the entire system. Seeking dedicated resources for Children’s Mental Health initiatives with regional collabora­tion.

2. Solid Waste Management: Cook County supports reforming current laws to ensure that waste is appropriately managed and that the costs do not all fall on local gov­ernments. The county is investing in waste management facilities to protect public health and the environment. The state should work with counties on policies and financial support, recognizing diverse cir­cumstances and maximizing positive out­comes.

3. Weather Radar gap: Cook County urges passage of SF530 to fill significant gaps in delivering weather watches, warnings, and alerts.

4. Fiscal Disparity–Cook County supports a legislative audit of the Iron Range Fiscal Disparity program. In addition, formulas need to be reviewed as there is currently no mechanism to retroactively adjust the three-year formula when the tax base is lost. They urge a more subtle approach to property tax reform, and simplification of the residential classification is suggested.

The Cook County Soil and Water District (SWCD) board members will lobby legislators after this week’s deadline. We will have more reporting next week.

According to Ilena Hansel, District Manag­er of the Cook County SWCD, “We are feel­ing budget restraints from both the federal and state levels, and the impacts will be significant if they continue.