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State Representative Sandra Masin
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-3533
For more information contact: Charlene Briner 651-296-5809
Column/LTE
Transportation Bill Puts the Safety of Minnesota's Traveling Public and State's Economic Prosperity First
To the Editor,
This week the Minnesota Legislature overrode Governor Pawlenty's veto of a comprehensive transportation bill. With that vote, Minnesota's crumbling system of roads, brides and transit will receive the first infusion of new revenue in two decades – more than $6.6 billion over the next ten years.
Over $60 million will go to fund transportation projects in Dakota County alone. Many of those local projects have been delayed and postponed, or have had to rely on higher property taxes to pay for them. In fact, since the mid-1990's, local property levies for roads and bridges in Minnesota have doubled, climbing to $1.6 billion in 2006. The result is that property taxes have become the state's single largest funder of roads, nearly equal to all state and federal sources combined.
In order to secure a broad range of support that included numerous civic, agriculture and business groups including the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, significant compromise was necessary. While the final package will not solve all of our transportation problems, in the words of the Chamber, it represents "very significant progress for our road, bridge and transit systems."
While it's unfortunate we had to act without the support of the governor, he made that choice. Passage of this bill will fix deteriorating roads and bridges, invest in more transit, shore up the job market, and put the brakes on rising property taxes. It puts the safety of Minnesota's traveling public and our state's economic prosperity first, and I'm proud of that.
Sincerely,
Sandra Masin
State Representative, District 38A
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