by T.W. Budig
ECM capitol reporter

College building funding and dollars for construction of an emergency operations management training center at Camp Ripley are some of the local highlights of the Pawlenty Administration's 2008 bonding bill.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty released his $965 million bonding proposal on Monday (Jan. 14), one he styled as "essentially devoid" of local projects — important things first, Pawlenty said — and one with heavy emphasis on funding for local bridges.

Pawlenty lauded his proposal as staying within historic norms in terms of dollar amounts.

Indeed, the governor indicated he would veto a bill in excess of $965 million in general obligation bonding, though also indicating a flexibility with local projects lawmakers might fit into the final package.

Democratic Capital Investment chairs indicated the governor's proposal was a starting point, but questioning some of his priorities.

Slated in the governor's bonding bill is $5 million for the proposed training facility at Camp Ripley, and about $4.7 million for Normandale Community College in Bloomington to convert an athletic facility into classrooms for the health sciences program and for other uses.

Additionally, about $8.8 million is slated for classroom updates at Inver Hills Community College in Inver Grove Heights and a lesser amount to fund science lab renovations at eleven Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) campuses, including Anoka Technical College, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, and Hennepin Technical College in Brooklyn Park.

All told, higher education in Pawlenty's bonding proposal was slated $258 million, split between MnSCU and the University of Minnesota.

Pawlenty chastised higher education for being wildly unrealistic in the their bonding requests — MnSCU alone had requested $273 million in bonding.

University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks in a statement called the governor's higher education proposal "a good starting point."

Other local items in the Pawlenty's bonding bill include $7.5 million for the Minnesota Zoo renovations and $15 million to cleanup contamination at the Washington County Landfill.

While looking at the size of Pawlenty's bonding proposal as reasonable, DFL legislative leaders also saw a strain of politics running through it.

Specifically, some questioned the governor slating $225 million for local bridges — Pawlenty acknowledge the collapse the I-35 W brought bridge repairs to the forefront for the public, adding the funding — several times the amount normally seen in the bonding in the bill — is needed.

Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, argued the bridge money, which could not used at all once, was a way for the governor to look like he was doing more for transportation than he was.

"Which is zero," said Murphy, complaining of a lack of a comprehensive transportation funding package.

Senate Capital Investment Chairman Keith Langseth, DFL-Glyndon, argued the best way to address transportation was through the passage of a transportation finance package.

Pawlenty vetoed the transportation bill last session, which contained a gas tax increase and other revenue raisers.

"He (Pawlenty) doesn't expect us to do that," said Langseth of including the whole $225 for bridged in the Senate bonding bill.

Rep. Kathy Tingelstad, R-Andover, who serves on the House Capital Investment Committee, also saw the amount as fleeting.

"I can about guarantee it won't end up like that," she said.

Tingelstad believes a Pawlenty transportation veto this upcoming session on a bill similar to last will be overridden by the Legislature.

About 38 percent of Pawlenty's bonding proposal is slated towards transportation — an "extraordinary and historic emphasis,," opined Pawlenty..

In a critique of Pawlenty's proposal, Langseth declared the amount of MnSCU funding as "very, very light."

"Whenever I go to the Governors's Office he's (Pawlenty) always trying to cut MnSCU," said Langseth.

Langseth explained the Senate bonding bill isn't finished.

"A lot of people think I always have my bill in my hip pocket — I don not," said Langseth.

Other projects of interest in the governor's bonding bill include:

•Metro regional parks, $6 million.
•St. Cloud State University, about $10 million for the Brown Hall Science Center.
•St. Cloud Airport property acquisition, $2 million.

The bonding proposal also includes a cancellation of $17 million in bonding for the proposed Northwest Busway approved in 2003.

According to the Governor's Office, local governments and the Met Council have agreed they no longer to develop the corridor as a busway.