Dayton Faces Obstacles In Push For Construction Finance Plan
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Minnesota's governor today outlined on Tuesday his wish list for state construction projects.
Mark Dayton wants to spend $842 million on infrastructure improvements.
The DFLer said his plan would create 23,900 jobs, in part by investing in building new college classrooms and making train tracks safer.
The hundreds of projects also include $79 million for rail safety improvements at oil train crossings and $124 million for parks and historical sites, including a new Fort Snelling visitor center.
Dayton said the state's robust economy makes now the time to do it all.
"The financial circumstances couldn't be better," he said. "We have a surplus, interest rates are low and the need is certainly out there."
Nearly half of the projects are outside the Twin Cities. The plan includes a host of hyper-local projects: a fire hall and swimming pool for tiny Hallock in far northeastern Minnesota and dam repairs in Lanesboro in the far southeastern part of the state.
"For these smaller communities who don't have the fiscal capacity that the state has, it's either this or nothing," he said.
If it's all or nothing, the powerful Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt will take nothing.
He said the state is on a spending binge.
"Frankly, state government spending has been on a much higher increase than family budgets can bear," Daudt said. "We think it has slowed economic growth in the state of Minnesota."
Some projects may be more pressing, such as safety improvements at St. Peter Security Hospital or facility upgrades for state prisons. But the governor warned lawmakers their hometown projects may disappear if they don't act now.
"For all of the legislators looking at projects that benefit their citizens and their constituents, they need to understand that this is an opportunity that may not come around again," Dayton said. "And that's not a threat-- it's just a statement of fact."
