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Steve Brandt, Star Tribune, February 13, 2010 The most junior Minneapolis 'durgans' save lives and buildings with a combination of training and brute strength, but their jobs are on the line if funding is cut.If you're on your back and turning blue, you want a man like Johnathon McClellan kneeling over you. At over 6-feet-3 with plenty of muscle, McClellan, a Minneapolis firefighter, has the endurance and training to do chest compressions all the way to the hospital. "You don't want to give up. You're praying, hoping that this person opens up their eyes," he said. "I've lost some; I've brought some back." At such times, McClellan, 31, pushes away the worries about how long his job will last. He's one of 27 rookie firefighters who got layoff notices from the city last fall. Some budget maneuvering by the City Council staved off their departures. But they come to work knowing that they're on the bubble and that any further cuts in state aid could mean their jobs. Full Story
The Associated Press, WCCO, Feburary 12, 2010 Cuts in state aid have forced many Minnesota cities to cut services -- from library hours to street maintenance -- and some mayors have said further budget reductions could lead to even fewer programs. The mayors spoke Thursday at a news conference in Moorhead designed to highlight the effects state cuts have had on local governments. Moorhead Mayor Mark Voxland said his city has lost about $2 million in state aid, and further cuts could mean layoffs. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman urged lawmakers to create a long-term plan for stabilizing revenue streams on the state level such as personal and corporate income taxes. He said his city closed 16 of its 41 recreational centers because of inadequate funding. "We are here to say loudly: Cities need resources," Coleman said. Full Story
Joe Kimball, MinnPost, March 23, 2010 While lawmakers continue to work through a billion-dollar state deficit, advocates for those with disabilities are keeping up pressure on the governor and legislators to stop making cuts to services that allow many disabled people to live and work independently. Several families came to the Capitol today to tell how the cuts are affecting their children's ability to thrive and live on their own. Without adequate state assistance to these families, many could end up in state institutions at a much greater cost to taxpayers, advocates said. Further budget cuts expected this session — and cuts from previous years — are now being felt with many people with disabilities. Many now get fewer hours of assistance from personal care attendants, and long waiting lists remain for those trying to move into independent living situations, where they could get daily living tasks so they can hold jobs. Full Story
Baird Helgeson and Mike Kaszuba, Star Tribune, March 22, 2010 House and Senate trimmed $105 million in aid to local governments, less than half of what governor proposed. Residents of Minnesota cities and counties that rely on state aid took another drubbing at the State Capitol Monday. The Minnesota House and Senate cut $105 million in aid to local governments, which has been one of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's first pots of cash to tap whenever the state has run low on money. If there was any consolation for mayors and county managers, it's that the DFL-controlled Legislature cut less than half what the governor wants to. In the short term, legislators warned that libraries might cut hours, the streets might not be as clean, and there could be fewer police officers on the streets. In the long term, they said, Minnesotans should guard their wallets. Full Story
By Beth Hawkins, MinnPost, February 15, 2010 Gov. Tim Pawlenty's proposed budget cuts, released this morning, offered few surprises but lots of pain, state policy-watchers agreed. "What the governor did was cut a big hole in Minnesota's safety net," said Jay Kiedrowski, a senior fellow at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute who was Minnesota's finance commissioner under Democratic Gov. Rudy Perpich. "No longer do Minnesotans have the assurance that when they have hard luck they will have help." "We're concerned that it looks like under his proposal, working people are going to lose access to health care," said Nan Madden, director of the nonprofit Minnesota Budget Project. "We are disappointed in the lack of balance." "The unfortunate thing is everyone from the governor on says we have to make tough decisions, but they're not — they're not making the tough decisions," said John Gunyou, finance commissioner under Republican Gov. Arne Carlson and current city manager of Minnetonka. "Unfortunately, no one will talk about tax and spending reform, they're just cutting budgets." Full Story
By Baird Helgeson and Rachel E. Stassen-Berger, Star Tribune, February 16, 2010 Money for social services and aid to local governments would be slashed. But business would see tax cuts.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty's budget is bad news for low-income Minnesotans who rely on state health care and for mayors already struggling to balance their own budgets, but good news for corporations paying high taxes.
The plan, released Monday, would erase a $1.2 billion state deficit largely through deep cuts in aid to local governments, in funding for health and human services and with an average 6 percent across-the-board cut to state agencies, likely to result in layoffs. Nearly one-third of the governor's budget fix would rely on $387 million in federal stimulus money. That money isn't yet in the bank and, if it doesn't come through, the cuts could be far deeper. Full Story
By Kris Berggren, Session Weekly/Session Daily, February 18, 2010 As Gov. Tim Pawlenty proposes to reduce $250 million in state aid to cities and counties, local government representatives told the House Local Government Division they're still reeling from the effects of 2010 unallotments plus the cumulative effects of prior years' state aid cuts. They remain concerned about public safety and quality of life in their communities. Mankato City Manager Pat Hentges said the city rolled back its 2010 budget to 2007 spending levels; eliminated most of its "livability" initiatives such as arts funding and many "secondary" services, such as a recreational program at a nature center and a police school liaison; and eliminated about 10 percent of its workforce. The governor's plan, said Hentges, would require Mankato to cut another $1.7 million, the equivalent of its snowplow, library and street lighting budget. Full Story
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