$32 million in emergency flood aid promised

09/07/2007

By Patricia Lopez And Mark Brunswick,
Star Tribune
September 07, 2007


The flood-ravaged counties of southeastern Minnesota will receive $32 million in emergency state aid, Gov. Tim Pawlenty said today.

Using his executive authority to redirect money from the existing state budget, Pawlenty said he would tap funds from a half-dozen state agencies for the package.

Half the money comes from the state housing fund and can be used to repair damaged homes, build new ones and assist with mortgage down payments.

More than $4 million will go to repair one of the state's premier parks, Whitewater State Park, which was heavily damaged and remains closed.

Pawlenty acknowledged on Friday that the massive job of restoring farms, roads, local bridges, sewer systems, homes, businesses is more than he can accomplish on his own executive authority.

A one-day special session-- which has been the subject of weeks of negotiations -- is needed, Pawlenty said and could be called as early as Tuesday. Legislative and gubernatorial staff were scheduled to discuss details this afternoon in a closed-door meeting.

Pawlenty has said he also would want a modest capital investment bill to assist with flood-related repairs and the I-35W bridge collapse.

But in what could be a major snag to any agreement, Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis, immediately rejected the need to do any bonding for I-35W and flood relief, saying the state should pay cash rather than borrow.

Pogemiller said he and House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis, had agreed to limit any special session to flood relief and expressed frustration that Pawlenty had injected bonding for the I-35W bridge reconstruction, even though the bridge is in Pogemiller's district.

"The bonding bill is what is holding everything up," Pogemiller told reporters on Friday, after Pawlenty's announcement. "No bonding bill. It's over, governor. Use cash on the bottom line. Let's move on."