Finstad, Frederickson

will wait and see

By KEVIN SWEENEY

Journal Editor

ST. PAUL -- New Ulm's legislators are taking a wait-and-see attitude toward Gov. Tim Pawlenty's budget, which the governor announced Tuesday.

Sen. Dennis Frederickson (R-New Ulm) said Wednesday he has had little time to sort through the budget proposal, and that details on many of the sections of the proposal just aren't available yet.

"My first reaction is that it went too far on the Local Government Aid reductions." said Frederickson. "I have a runout that indicates New Ulm would lose $600,000 the first year of the biennium and $1.1 million the second year.

"Couple that with the inability of city councils to make up any of that, which Pawlenty has included in his proposal (levy limits would prevent cities from simply levying more property tax to replace the lost aid) and it could make it difficult for the city to maintain the kinds of services -- police and fire and so on -- that it has in the past," said Frederickson.

Frederickson said the budget proposal begins a long, involved process.

"We'll need to hear from citizens about their reactions," said Frederickson. "We need to keep essential services in place and maintain what we expect of local government in rural Minnesota."

State Rep. Brad Finstad (R-New Ulm) said people should be aware that Pawlenty's proposal is just that -- a proposal -- that will be scrutinized thoroughly by the Legislature before a final budget bill is passed.

Finstad said he will be gathering facts from his district on what effect the budget proposal will have locally -- he's been talking with some city managers on the issue of LGA cuts, and has been in contact with Brown County Family Services Director Tom Henderson on the effect of the Health and Human Services proposal, both areas of concern for him.

"Legislators will be trying to figure out how it plays out in individual districts," said Finstad. "This will help us shape how the House comes together."

Finstad said the Republican Caucus would begin meeting Wednesday night to go over the budget proposal, and begin discussions on its own budget approach.

The budget proposal is a large document, said Finstad. "I just read it over for the third time, and each time I find something new in it," he said.

Frederickson said he expects a "deluge" of phone calls, letters and e-mails as the details of the budget proposal come out. "I'll be back in town on weekends and will be talking to people, and will be participating in more formal meetings, like Chamber of Commerce issues meetings and local town meetings," he said.