On Monday, the Minnesota Senate passed legislation that fixes a small technical glitch in the 2018 bonding bill that potentially could have delayed several important area public works projects. The bill, which passed with wide bipartisan support, was signed into law on Tuesday morning by Governor Tim Walz.
“We can now proceed with certainty on the important area projects funded in the bonding bill,” said Senator Gary Dahms (R-Redwood Falls). “Passing these needed fixes was a true bipartisan effort and marks a big step forward. The projects from wastewater treatment to highway expansion affect thousands of southwestern Minnesota residents every day. It’s about time the legislature came to agreement and got this done.”
The legislation addresses a small technicality in the bonding bill signed into law last year which could have prevented certain projects from moving forward. Several area projects included in last year’s bonding bill are enabled to receive funding by this legislation including the Lake Redwood Reclamation; upgrades to wastewater treatment facilities in Marshall, Wood Lake, and Dawson; connecting Clarkfield to the Lincoln Pipestone Rural Water System; and the completion of the four-lane expansion on Highway 23 from Willmar to St. Cloud. The bill changes the funding source to allow projects to move forward without delay.
While the legislation does not specifically name these projects, they are in line to receive funding through the Public Facilities Authority’s Point Source Implementation Grant program and the Water Infrastructure Funding program.
Senator Dahms continued, “After a lengthy delay, we’ve gotten this right. I’m looking forward to seeing these projects move forward.”
Senator Gary Dahms, of Redwood Falls, is in his third term representing District 16 which includes communities in Brown, Lac qui Parle, Lyon, Redwood, Renville, and Yellow Medicine Counties. Senator Dahms serves as chairman of the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Finance and Policy Committee and is an assistant majority leader.