“Pretty significant disappointment,” says the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities about the legislature *not* passing a bonding bill for state public works projects during this year’s session. Spokesman Bradley Peterson contends it’s time for lawmakers to re-think the approach to bonding:
“For years, since I think the ’90s, we’ve been living under this notion that a bonding bill can’t be bigger than a billion dollars — and I think it’s time that we move our thinking beyond that,” Peterson says.
Moves for a bonding bill this year were complicated by a push for more road-and-bridge funding. Republicans proposed that money come from bonding, while Democrats argued a gas tax increase is needed.