Dear Lakeville Neighbors,
Congrats to Lakeville South for knocking off St. Thomas yesterday at the Tourney! I loved seeing the Cougars pull the upset and move on to the semis. Good luck to the team as they take on Moorhead tonight!
Met Council
There’s a big push this session to reform the Twin Cities regional planning body, the Metropolitan Council. This group oversees an enormous $1 billion budget, larger than 17 other regional planning groups from across the country COMBINED. These others aren’t small, and include cities like Los Angeles, Washington DC, Chicago, and Detroit.
We need an overall package of reforms to make this board more responsive and less political. Right now, the entire board is appointed by the sitting governor. That leaves the big planning decisions and $1 billion in the hands of a few appointees. I’m working with my colleagues on a few reform bills, and will keep you updated as we move them forward. I introduced a bill that refocused some housing and transit-oriented development grants back to bus operations. I felt that those programs were overreach of the Met Council's original purpose and are more appropriate for county and city officials to determine. Since Met Council is expecting a deficit in bus operations, these funds are better utilized in our bus services. I also co-authored a bill that encouraged more affordable housing in the free market.
Metro Mobility
Metro Mobility does some great work providing disabled Minnesotans with transportation. Unfortunately, this federally mandated service has a large and growing cost. Also, a recent news story showed negligence on behalf of Metro Mobility with some riders. I have a bill, HF1745, to create a Metro Mobility Enhancement Task Force to explore how utilizing transportation network companies like Uber or Lyft can lower cost and ensure this service is as good as Minnesotans deserve and need. Additionally, I support the office of the legislative auditor doing an investigation on both the finance and performance of Metro Mobility.
Uniform Labor Standards
A big bill we passed last week would make labor standards uniform across the state. For over 100 years, state labor laws weren’t questioned by individual cities. Now, some cities are setting their own regulations, which is the start of havoc for businesses around the state.
Minnesota has 853 cities, which means we could have 853 different laws regulating business. This patchwork would make it almost impossible for new businesses to come to Minnesota or expand. Our bill would do what we’ve done for over 100 years and ensure labor laws come from the state. I’ve heard from several Lakeville business people and management professionals about how individual city policy on these issues would be very problematic.
Catholic Day
Yesterday was Catholic Day at the Capitol! I had a great meeting with All Saints and St. Michael’s constituents, and enjoyed seeing all the participation at the rally. Thanks to everyone who stopped by; we hear you!
Have a great weekend,
Jon Koznick
State Representative, Lakeville, 58A