Purpose

This bill creates a state-funded grant program for very small cities to improve city facilities. It also authorizes the sale and issuance of state bonds to pay for these grants. The goal is to help small towns design, build, and equip facilities that centralize multiple city services, including firefighting, in a single building and to reduce vehicle exhaust in the shared facilities.

Main Provisions

• Establishes Small City Municipal Facility Improvement Grants to fund capital improvements in city-owned property.
• The program is administered by the commissioner of employment and economic development.

Eligibility Criteria for Cities

• The city must have a population of fewer than 2,000 people (as estimated by the state demographer per Minnesota law).
• The city must have an executed and valid fire service contract or agreement requiring it to provide fire and rescue services to at least one other municipality.
• The city must have at least 50 calls for fire and rescue services in the calendar year.

Application Process

• A city may apply for a grant using the form and method prescribed by the commissioner.

Use of Grant Funds

• Grants may be used to design, construct, furnish, and equip capital improvements to city-owned property.
• The improvements must be for colocating several city services in a single building, with at least one of the services being firefighting.
• Grants may also be used to purchase and install air handling equipment to reduce vehicle exhaust in a multipurpose municipal building from which fire and rescue services are dispatched.

Funding and Authority

• The bill appropriates money for these grants and authorizes the sale and issuance of state bonds to fund them.

Administration

• The commissioner of employment and economic development is designated as the administering authority for the program.

Significance / Changes

• Introduces a new capital investment program aimed at very small cities to consolidate services and improve facilities, including firefighting infrastructure.
• Creates a funded mechanism (via state bonds) to support capital improvements and shared-service facilities in small municipalities.

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Relevant Terms

• Small City Municipal Facility Improvement Grants
• commissioner
• commissioner of employment and economic development
• eligible cities
• population less than 2000
• state demographer
• Minnesota Statutes section 4A.02
• fire service contract / agreement
• fire and rescue services
• 50 calls per calendar year
• design, construct, furnish, and equip
• capital improvements
• city-owned property
• colocating city services
• firefighting
• air handling equipment
• vehicle exhaust
• multipurpose municipal building
• grant money
• state bonds
• capital investment