Southern Minnesota water infrastructure made a priority in Senate bonding bill

Four southern Minnesota communities received funding for their critical water infrastructure needs under the Senate’s 2018 bonding bill. The committee previously toured the projects, located in St. James, Waldorf, Winnebago, and Jackson as part of their statewide #MNfrastructure tour.

“Clean water is one of the core services that people depend on government to provide,” said Senator Julie Rosen (R-Vernon Center), chair of the Senate Finance Committee. “I am glad to see this bipartisan priority playing such an important role in the Senate’s bonding bill, and I could not be happier for the communities of St. James, Waldorf, Winnebago, and Jackson.”

  • $3 million for the city of St. James to build an extension of their storm sewer retention pond, including reconstruction of streets, sidewalks, storm water and sanitary sewer, water mains, lighting, and utilities.
  • $1.9 million for the city of Waldorf to rebuild their crumbling water treatment infrastructure. During a tour earlier this year, city officials would not even let senators inside the facility due to safety concerns.
  • $3 million for the city of Winnebago to improve its water infrastructure. Every year, the smallest rains cause massive flooding and sewer back-ups into homes due to the old and poor infrastructure, much of which is approaching 80 to 100 years old.
  • $290,000 for the city of Jackson to complete phase 1 of the redevelopment of Memorial Park, including trails, landscaping, a canoe launch and other amenities.

The bill included a $35 million allocation to the Rural Finance Authority (RFA). The RFA provides low-interest loans to farmers to help with startup costs for new farmers, disaster recovery, and debt restructuring.

The largest portion of funding in the $825 million bonding bill will be dedicated to roads and bridges. In fact, nearly 30% funding is targeted to road and bridge improvements across Minnesota, including full funding to complete the Highway 14 expansion between Owatonna and Dodge Center.

“From day one, I have made clear that our bonding proposal must use taxpayer dollars responsibly, with a focus on the most important projects,” added Senator Rosen. “This bill delivers – it is targeted to critical infrastructure upgrades, making our roads and bridges safer, and caring for Minnesota’s veterans and individuals struggling with mental health issues.”