As part of special session negotiations, legislative working groups have put forward agreed-upon budget proposals. It was announced this week that the Transportation Working Group’s agreement included a controversial diversion of $93 million in transportation funding from metro counties to the Metropolitan Council (Met Council) for bus projects primarily in Hennepin and Ramsey counties.
In 2023, the Democrat trifecta increased the metro sales tax by 1% for the seven-county metro area, 0.75% designated for transportation. These funds were meant to contribute to local transportation projects, with the metro counties receiving 17% of the overall transportation revenue generated by the new sales tax. Under this new proposal, the counties will receive only half of the original amount, with the remaining 8.5% now being given to the Met Council.
In the plan, Anoka County alone is set to lose a staggering $24 million over the next four years. This will force counties to either further increase property taxes or fully eliminate projects that have been years in the making.
“This is a bad deal for Minnesotans in the metro suburbs – many families already feel like their property taxes are far too high and this backroom deal is only going to make that worse,” said Senator Michael Kreun (R-Blaine). “The original tax increase in 2023 was a hard pill to swallow, but counties were told it would result in additional funding for better infrastructure throughout their communities. Yet this proposed diversion of funds goes back on that promise, instead shifting money to an unaccountable, bloated agency plagued with overspending, waste and mismanagement.
“This is funding that was supposed to go to local roads and bridges, and now that money is being decimated to instead fund bus projects for the Met Council. They do not need additional money, considering they have a poor track record of managing what they already have. Their 2025 operating budget alone is already set to be over $1.6 billion, yet the Legislature wants to give them more, and Minnesotans less.
“This is bad government, plain and simple. When the legislature puts forward these sweeping changes, it should be done in the public eye, so that those affected can testify and provide input, but we are seeing none of that this year. And who suffers the most? Families across the state who will be forced to foot the bill.”
According to Anoka County officials, a number of projects will be reevaluated if this change goes into effect:
- CSAH 6 (40th Avenue) corridor reconstruction from Main Street to TH 47 (University Avenue) in the City of Columbia Heights
- CSAH 9 (Round Lake Boulevard) traffic control signal system and pavement preservation improvement project from 135th Avenue to 149th Avenue in the City of Andover
- CR 19 (Potomac Street) corridor reconstruction from CSAH 23 (Lake Drive) to 162nd Avenue in the City of Columbus
- Noise wall repair
- CSAH 17 (Lexington Avenue) corridor modernization from CSAH 116 (Bunker Lake Boulevard) to 155th Avenue in the City of Ham Lake
- Eastern Anoka County Regional Trail corridor expansion along CSAH 17 (Lexington Boulevard) in the Cities of Ham Lake, Columbus and East Bethel
- Rum River Regional Trail improvements from Pleasant Street to Johnson Street in the City of Anoka
- Rice Creek West Regional Trail improvements under/across CSAH 35 (Old Central Avenue) in the City of Fridley
- Kordiak County Park trail improvements in the City of Columbia Heights
Of note, this is a tentative agreement that has yet to be finalized.