Important Action Alert
IMPORTANT ACTION ALERT
This ACTION ALERT just in from Marc Mattice:
The House Legacy Committee has completed its work on its Legacy bill voted to bill out of committee on Wednesday (4-27). The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee will amend its bill and vote the bill out of committee today (4-28).
Where we stand:
The park and trail legacy split in the House bill is 40% exclusive to DNR, 40% exclusive to metro parks, and 20% is non-exclusive funding to the Statewide Grants Program which metro counties and agencies can apply for. The park and trail legacy split in the Senate is 37% to DNR, 37% to metro park, and 26% to the Statewide Grant Program exclusive to Greater MN. These splits are exclusive to each of the three entities. The Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Coalition fully supports the senate language, while urging House members to vote for the House plan as the best deal that could be reached in the body.
House Message – Please support the House Park and Trail Legacy proposal in the House Legacy bill. Greater Minnesota needs greater equity in park and trail legacy funding and this is a good start toward that objective.
http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/committees/committee_bio.php?cmte_id=1006&ls=#members
Here are some bullets to use which focus on the big picture and the senate bill…
Join the efforts of the Greater MN Regional Park and Trail Coalition in urging our local legislators to support the park and trail provisions in the House Legacy bill, and SF1230, a bill sponsored by Sen. John Pederson, R – St. Cloud, in the Senate which provide the best efforts to bring equity to the distribution of approximately $38 million in annual Park and Trail Legacy revenues between the DNR (state parks), metro parks and trails, and Greater Minnesota parks and trails.
Greater Minnesota cannot fund the planning and construction of the statewide system of regional parks and trails called for in the Parks and Trails Legacy Plan – A 25 Year Long Range Plan for the State of Minnesota, on the 16% of Park and Trail Legacy funding recommended by Governor Dayton.
In undercutting Greater Minnesota in favor of continuing to enrich the DNR and metro parks and trails – each of which receive an equal share 42% exclusive funding for each – Governor Dayton is ensuring that Greater Minnesota will not share in the vision created by the citizens of the state who voted for the Legacy plan.
Our hope is with the legislature in the form of the House Legacy bill, and SF1230 in the Senate. We hope you will help us build support for adequate park and trail legacy funding by urging your House member to support the House Legacy Park and Trail bill, and your Senate member to support Sen. John Pederson and SF1230. You may even wish to contact the Governor’s office to let him know his Park and Trail Legacy recommendation is too low and needs reconsideration.
Thanks for taking time to make these important contacts.
Marc Mattice
Wright County Parks Administrator
1901 Highway 25 North
Buffalo, MN 55313
Phone (763) 682-7693
“Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience”
