As part of Gov.Tim Walz’s announcement last week
that he will use the next two months to visit proposed capital bonding projects
across the state, Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) launched an online portal
allowing Minnesotans to submit comments on bonding requests that local
governments have submitted.
The portal asks users for their name, allows them to select one local project,
and then provides space for users to write comments about why they support the
project. Anyone with internet access can utilize the portal to provide
comments. While you are limited to commenting on one project at time, there is
no limit on how many projects you can provide feedback on. The way the portal
is structured, you must select from a list of the entities that submitted local
government requests and then you are directed to a page with the name of the
project(s) submitted by that entity. While a full project list with brief
descriptions is available, it is included as a separate link that takes you
away from the portal webpage so the system can be somewhat cumbersome.
While the CGMC encourages members to submit comments on their local projects
and share the portal with others, CGMC President Audrey Nelsen noted our
reservations about the system during an interview with the Star Tribune. Nelsen
shared the CGMC’s appreciation that Gov. Walz is making an effort to visit
bonding projects across the state, but also noted that the Governor and MMB
should use more than the comments submitted through the portal when judging the
importance and urgency of different bonding projects. You can read the full
Star Tribune article here.
