We should all thank Pawlenty for axing the Political Contribution Refund program
Last month, Governor Pawlenty killed the Minnesota political contribution refund (”PCR”) program as part of his budget-balancing unallotment. Although I used that program quite effectively for six years as a candidate for both the Minnesota House and Attorney General, I’m happy to see it go.
Unfortunately, there are already groups attempting to revive this program in the upcoming legislative session.
The PCR law provided that every Minnesota taxpayer could give $50 to the state office-seeker or political party of his or her choice and be fully reimbursed by the state. All you had to do was write your check, mail in a receipt from the recipient of your contribution and you would soon receive a reimbursement check from the State of Minnesota. In other words, you chose who received a $50 contribution and the rest of Minnesota’s taxpayers would ante up for that choice. Read more…
A committee of the Metropolitan Airports Commission voted unanimously yesterday to approve $2.2 million for new signs directing travelers to the two airport terminals. According to a Star Tribune story, the committee approved funds for 16 signs with the words “Terminal 1″ and “Terminal 2″ to replace signs that now say “Lindbergh” and “Humphrey.” Twenty-eight other signs would list the names of airlines at each terminal.
In addition, the MAC is looking to spend $185,000 for a public relations effort to inform the public of these changes before they are made. Read more…
The lead story tonight on Fox9 was Tom Lyden’s coverage of Minneapolis’ decision to spend $180,000 to market tap water to its residents. Tom apparently couldn’t get the Mayor or anyone from the city council to talk to him, so he called me. I was happy to oblige. Great story:
Writing on The Mayor Blog, Jeremy Hanson, Mayor Rybak’s Communications Director and Press Secretary, has posted an entry entitled “In Defense of Artistic Drinking Fountains” in which he takes issue with Governor Pawlenty’s criticism of the $500,000 Minneapolis recently spent on artist-designed water fountains in Minneapolis. I posted on this issue last week.
In the post, Hanson claims the following:
The drinking fountains in question are funded with dedicated revenue streams that are completely separate from the City’s General Fund and have nothing to do with the amount of local government aid (LGA) the City gets from the State. Read more…
Rybak complains while spending $500,000 for artsy drinking fountains in Minneapolis
Governor Pawlenty today announced his unallotment decisions. Among his comments was an admonition to Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak (who is predictably incensed by the cuts to local government aid) that he should start setting priorities for the city budget and stop funding ”$50,000 artistic drinking fountains.”
I had completely forgotten about those fountains, but amidst the cries from Rybak and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman that LGA cuts would threaten public safety and force their respective cities to cut even further into bone, I decided to refresh myself on last year’s decision by Rybak and the Minneapolis City Council to spend $500,000 on artist-designed water fountains (ten fountains at $50K each) to be placed throughout the city.
A Star Tribune story last year described this expenditure as a “continuation of the city’s ongoing public arts program, which has brought the city projects ranging from an oversized bunny sculpture at East Minnehaha Parkway and Portland Ave. S. to artist-designed manhole covers.” Read more…
County Spends $700,000 on Landscaping at Garbage Burner
The Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (”HERC” a.k.a. “the garbage burner”) is a hulking complex in Minneapolis next to the new Twins stadium that can often be seen billowing smoke on a cold winter morning. It’s not a bad looking place (as far as county garbage burners go). It’s clean, neat and tastefully painted in pale tan with chocolate brown accent walls. “Not bad-looking”, however, just doesn’t cut it anymore for the HERC, at least not now that higher class neighbors are about to move in.
Last month, the county board approved a $1.95 million project to make the HERC look and smell a little better. Read more…
New solar panels will save taxpayers $15,000 per year in energy costs - starting in 2070
We in Hennepin County government have recently been congratulating ourselves about the new solar panels just installed on the county’s Public Works building in Medina. The panels are touted as a great success story for county taxpayers because they are saving $15,000 per year in energy costs.
I believe this sort of project can be a great use of taxpayer dollars. If there are “green” improvements that we can make to county buildings that save us money down the road (within a reasonable period of time), I’m on board.
When I was first told about the panels, I asked what I assumed was a simple and relevant question: How much did the panels cost; how long before they have paid for themselves and the taxpayers start realizing this $15,000 annual savings? Read more…
Hennepin County Funds Sex Ed Teachers in Richfield and Brooklyn Center Public Schools
Since my first day on the Hennepin County Board, I’ve been hearing regularly about how the county has cut the fat out of government and is now cutting into bone; that the Governor has decimated county aid to such an extent that we can no longer adequately provide even some of the basic functions of county government.
The problem with that assertion, of course, is the same problem that exists when the argument is used about government budgets at nearly every level: If decision-makers would learn to prioritize and spend less money on those things that are NOT basic functions of government, it would be much easier to fund those things that ARE basic functions of government. Read more…
This wasn’t about taxes or guns or name-your-right-wing-bogeyman. It was about a federal government gone berserk.
I’ve found it entertaining to watch the media and those of a liberal political bent (sorry if I’m being redundant) paint the Tea Parties that took place recently around the country as an amalgamation of seething right-wing kooks carrying “I ♥ my AK-47″ signs.
I was at the Tea Party in St. Paul. I apparently hung out at the wrong end of the Capital grounds, though, because I missed all of those angry, extremist, Obama-haters who I’m told were there. Read more…
