Yearly Archives: 2015

The St. Louis County Board has approved its 2016 budget in the amount of $358,733,410. Of most significance to tax payers is the fact that it includes no change in the levy, which will translate into a decrease in the county portion of property tax statements for most residents and business owners.

U.S. Sen. Al Franken praised the Senate's passage of a bill he supports to help protect members of the armed forces from foreclosure. The bill, which cleared the Senate on Thursday evening, would safeguard active-duty servicemembers from losing their homes for one year following the completion of service.

U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) released the following statement after the Senate passed a bipartisan transportation bill that funds federal infrastructure projects for five years. The legislation includes a fix for Duluth's logging truck issue, which you can download a video of Sen

Following the announcement of Minnesota’s projected $1.87 billion state budget surplus, Governor Mark Dayton announced that he will propose a $100 million investment in competitive broadband infrastructure grants. The proposal will be considered in the upcoming legislative session. Lt. Governor Tina Smith

at the annual meetings of the Minnesota Farm Bureau and the Minnesota Farmers Union, Governor Mark Dayton will announce his plans to convene a statewide Water Quality Summit in February. The summit will focus public attention on the serious challenges facing Minnesota’s water supplies – in both rural and urban areas of the state – and continue statewide dialogue around steps that must be taken to address those challenges. The summit will include water quality experts, farmers, legislators, regulators, the business community, members of the public, local leaders, and a wide variety of other stakeholders.

Legislation would increase broadband deployment by cutting red tape for companies, states, and local governments that want to install broadband infrastructure on federal land...

Property taxes for the second half of the year are due next week – on Thursday, October 15. With that deadline comes a reminder from the St. Louis County Auditor for anyone planning to mail their payment: please pay attention to the mailbox pick up time. Changes at the Duluth Post Office earlier this year have affected mail pick up times at mailboxes around the region.

Late season waterfowl hunters are reminded that with water temperatures rapidly dropping across the state, wearing a life jacket is the best defense against the dangers posed by cold water, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said

Legislation would increase broadband deployment by cutting red tape for companies, states, and local governments that want to install broadband infrastructure on federal land and promotes the simultaneous installation of underground broadband conduit during the construction of federal transportation projects

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is taking additional measures in response to the discovery of starry stonewart in Lake Koronis, Stearns County. The DNR will treat the invasive algae in front of the main public access at Lake Koronis, as part of an expanded effort to reduce the risk that it will spread to other bodies of water.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is seeking applications for grants to support off-highway vehicle (OHV) trail projects and new trail proposals. Application forms for projects on existing trails are due to a Parks and Trails Division area supervisor’s office each year by Nov. 30.

U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, along with U.S. Representatives Collin Peterson, Betty McCollum, Keith Ellison, Tim Walz, and Rick Nolan, sent a letter today urging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to protect water quality in Voyageurs National Park. In a letter, the lawmakers urged the USACE to include funding for the Voyageurs National Park Clean Water Project in the FY 2016 Civil Works Plan.

U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, along with Representative Rick Nolan, today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded the Duluth International Airport $11,725,663 for infrastructure improvements.

The St. Louis County Board has voted to hold the maximum property tax levy flat for 2016 at $116.6 million, a 0 percent increase over last year. This is doubly good news for tax payers, because in addition to no increase in the levy, the growth in the economy and tax base means the County-portion of the property tax statement should decrease for the majority of residents

The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday announced the appointment of Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA) Commissioner Mary Tingerthal to the newly-created Community Advisory Council (CAC). Commissioner Tingerthal is one of only 15 members nationwide selected to advise the Federal Reserve Board on the economic circumstances and financial services needs of low- and middle-income consumers and communities.