Dear neighbor,
We had another busy week at the legislature with committee hearings well underway. In this edition of the Peppin Report:
1) Maple Grove City Council Meeting
2) Rogers Fiscal Disparities Bill Hearing
3) March for Life
1) Maple Grove City Council Meeting
On Tuesday, I had the privilege of addressing the Maple Grove City Council including Mayor Steffenson about the 2015 Legislative Session. I also spoke about local transportation priorities including Highway 610 expansion and creating a new freeway exit along I-94 near Brockton Lane.
Under the Corridors of Commerce program, the Minnesota Department of Transportation is helping fund the expansion of Highway 610 between Elm Creek Boulevard and Interstate 94. The new connection will accommodate 50,000 vehicles per day and alleviate traffic on the main arteries of I-94 and I-694. MNDOT officials are allotting $103 million to $131 million for the project.
Preliminary work has already begun with major construction starting next spring. The 2.5-mile extension will open to traffic in late 2016.
As it relates to the so-called “Brockton Lane” exit, I worked on legislation last session that would appropriate nearly $23 million from the sale of trunk highway bonds to construct a full access point and auxiliary lanes on Interstate Highway 94 just east of the existing Brockton Lane/Highway 101 overpass. This is among the longest stretches of freeway without an exit in the entire metro area. I am working with staff and elected officials from the city of Dayton (where the exit will be located) and plan to re-introduce legislation to fix this problem and further alleviate traffic congestion on I-94.
2) Rogers Fiscal Disparities Bill Hearing
On Wednesday, I testified before the House Property Tax & Local Government Division on my legislation for Rogers regarding fiscal disparities.
The intent of the bill is to ease the unfair tax burden paid by contributor cities like Rogers to the fiscal disparities pool. This outdated program literally transfers millions in property tax dollars from communities like Rogers to cities in other metro counties. These are dollars that could be used in our community or returned to taxpayers. That’s not right.
This bill seeks to create fairness for local taxpayers by establishing a payment cap for cities, like Rogers, that do not benefit from the Metropolitan Council’s wastewater infrastructure, a core service that originally was promised to benefit participating municipalities.
Specifically, my legislation (House File 135) provides that any municipality that owns and operates its own municipal wastewater treatment plant cannot be required to contribute more than 10 percent of its net tax capacity to the area-wide tax base.
Thank you to Rogers City Council members Darren Jakel and Mark Eiden, City Administrator Steve Stahmer, and City Finance Director Lisa Wieland for coming to St. Paul to testify and show support for this legislation.
Joyce testifying in favor of House File 135 before the House Property Tax & Local Government Division on Wednesday.
3) March for Life
Thanks to the many Dayton, Maple Grove and Rogers residents who came to the Capitol on Thursday for the March for Life. This annual event serves as a pro-life rally and reflection on the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision which legalized abortion.
As always, feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns you have regarding state legislative issues. My direct line is 651-296-7806. My email address is rep.joyce.peppin@house.mn and my mailing address is Room 459 State Office Building, 100 Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard, St. Paul, MN 55155
Have a wonderful weekend,
Joyce
**Encourage your neighbors and friends to sign up for my email updates at www.house.mn/34A