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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Bob Vogel (R)

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Surveying flood damage; special session waiting

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Dear Neighbor,

 

A few days ago I surveyed flood damage caused by last year’s record rains in Blakely and Belle Plaine townships and discussed the issue with local citizens to help determine what responses are appropriate at the state level.

It was a good opportunity to learn more about the people who have land impacted by the flood and need assistance to address both the short-term recovery efforts, and longer term mitigation of future problems. The immediate actions which still need to be addressed are to stabilize the banks to make them less susceptible to wash-outs by strategically repairing the drainage areas and then planting proper vegetation. Longer term, it will be necessary to do preventative measures, some which may be removed from the affected properties farther upstream in the watershed, as well as practices in the immediate area to minimize the impact of large storm events.

An initial round of funding to assist in repairing damage should be included in a capital investment bill the Legislature hopes to take up during an imminent special session. I’m also hoping that additional funding will follow in the future for the longer term strategic fixes.

Water management issues are very important because they affect all of us and, over the years I’ve been very involved because I’ve come to learn how the forces of Mother Nature far transcend most of the remedies we invent to try to control things.

I want to extend my thanks to the people who took time and were kind enough to show me around because the things I learned will be helpful as we continue working to rectify this situation. I also have toured the Prior Lake area to see similar flooding problems in that region, because even though most of the area I represent is outside that watershed there is a small area on the north which drains into the Spring Lake Watershed, I believe that it’s important to make sure when addressing such far reaching issues we understand as much as possible about the broader effects of what seem to be local issues because we are all in this together.

On another note, we are still waiting for Gov. Mark Dayton to call the aforementioned special legislative session so we can repass three state budget bills he vetoed after the regular session ended this year. We also hope to address the bonding bill I referred to above, and legislation to distribute funding generated by the Legacy Amendment (the House passed the Legacy Bill this year, but the Senate ran out of time).

As for the three budget bills, the governor and legislative leaders are working on the last details for finance items related to K-12 education, agriculture/environment, and jobs/energy. One of the largest stumbling blocks of late appears to have been eliminated when the governor this week shelved his insistence that legislation be repealed relating to county audits.

The provision in question is one the Legislature approved bipartisanly last month and the governor enacted. It allows counties to contract with private-sector firms in conducting audits instead of using the State Auditor's office by mandate. Currently there are 28 counties (as well as all of Minnesota's cities and school districts) in Minnesota already being provided this discretion. This law puts the state's other 59 counties on equal footing, which is something as a matter of fairness that I supported. So my hope is the governor having put this issue aside for now will bring us to agreement so we can close the chapter on this year’s session, get the above bills, including the bonding done, and move on with the two-year budget bills which are needed by the time the new fiscal year begins July 1.

I will update you as news becomes available, and as always please let me know your thoughts or ask any questions of me you might have.

Sincerely,

Bob