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State leaders are negotiating a deal to provide the first substantial infusion of state road, bridge and transit funding in 15 years. Support varies for the funding sources being considered, but widespread agreement exists that Minnesota has shortchanged transportation needs for years.
Unfortunately, transportation in the five Twin Cities "collar counties" of Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Scott and Washington has been particularly squeezed for decades, repeatedly overlooked in favor of both our urban and rural neighbors. The inequitable distribution of transportation funds has resulted in a long list of neglected transportation needs in the fastest-growing areas of the state as well as unfair reliance on our taxpayers to pick up the state's tab.
These inequities are stark, compelling and growing worse.
For example, the collar counties' 1.3 million residents represent 24% of the state's total population and generate 25% of state tax revenue for transportation. Yet they receive just 13% of state trunk highway funds and just 14% of total state funding for county roads.
This bears repeating: Collar county residents make up nearly twice the proportion of population and taxes paid for transportation as we receive back in transportation funding. This is patently unfair to our taxpayers.
Contrast this with the rest of the state — which receives almost 90% of the state funding, while serving an increasingly shrinking population. Even Hennepin and Ramsey counties experienced population declines the past two years. Meanwhile, the collar counties anticipate growth of nearly 100,000 more people over the coming decade.
Despite our population growth and economic importance, the state continues to severely underfund its transportation responsibilities in the collar counties.
Nowhere is the inequitable distribution of transportation funds more evident than in MnDOT's Corridors of Commerce program. Created in 2013 to provide additional highway funding to projects that foster economic growth in the state, the program all but ignores the collar counties.
From 2013–18, MnDOT awarded more than $1.1 billion in Corridors of Commerce grants to construction projects around the state. Greater Minnesota received $636 million (57.4%) and Hennepin and Ramsey counties were awarded $468.6 million (42.3%). The collar counties received a paltry $3.4 million (0.3%), and that was awarded to two of the five collar counties for project planning, not construction. Even worse, collar county projects that scored better and were prioritized higher were passed over in favor of lower-scoring rural highway projects serving fewer vehicles.
What's the solution? Our five county boards have agreed upon principles for transportation funding that will enhance public safety, mobility and economic development. As state lawmakers craft a transportation bill that can pass the Legislature with suburban support, they should apply these principles:
- Make transportation policy fair and flexible and provide adequate state transportation funding.
- State funding for roads and transit should be raised from statewide sources. Apply the "One Minnesota" principle to any new transportation resources.
- Any new transportation revenue should be distributed in a more proportional way to where it was generated.
- Retain the current distribution of the Leased Motor Vehicle Sales Tax (LMVST).
- Any transportation funds flowing to counties from new state revenue should go directly to counties, not through the Metropolitan Council or the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB).
- Reform the Corridors of Commerce program to rank and fund suburban projects on the same basis of merit and need as those in the rest of the state.
- New transit funding should be used to relieve counties of all transit operational and capital maintenance costs and improve public safety throughout the transit system. It should also be used to reduce or eliminate regional transit taxing district levies for capital costs and to explore emerging and effective transit options in the collar counties.
- The Legislature should pursue a comprehensive, post-pandemic performance study of existing and future transit needs strategies and goals considering current and emerging employment, commuting and technology trends before expanding the system.
Collar county taxpayers pay more than their fair share for transportation. It's well past time the state provides a fair share of the revenue.
Matt Look is chair of the Anoka County Board. John Fahey is chair of the Carver County Board. Liz Workman is chair of the Dakota County Board. Tom Wolf is chair of the Scott County Board. Gary Kriesel is chair of the Washington County Board.
