Stearns County Sets Legislative Priorities Ahead of Upcoming Session

(KNSI) – The Stearns County Board of Commissioners held a special meeting this week to discuss what the county hopes Minnesota Lawmakers will accomplish during the 2022 Minnesota Legislative session. According to County Administrator Mike Williams, Stearns County’s legislative priorities focus on getting more help and funding for human services, public safety, and transportation.

Stearns County wants the state to increase funding for the Minnesota Community Correction Act. Counties would help supervise people on probation and in other supervised treatment programs. They’re also asking for increased funding for mental health, childcare, and preventative community-based services and enabled sharing of private data between departments such as corrections departments, court systems, health, and human services agencies, and schools.

Stearns County wants lawmakers to increase funding for roads, including county roads, and support the expansion of Interstate 94 to six lanes from the Twin Cities to St. Cloud. Stearns County also wants the state to continue working on the Highway 23 expansion to four lanes between St. Cloud and Willmar.

The county would also like legislators to adjust the Homestead Market Value Exclusion or classification rate assigned to residential and agricultural properties to offset the rapid increase in market values.

Lawmakers return to the Capitol to open the session on January 31st.

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