Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty line-item vetoed the state bonding bill today, but to the relief of local officials, kept $1 million in for the Scott County Public Safety Training Center.
The training center, which is already partially built with local and state funding and ready to begin operations, wasn't part of the governor's bonding proposal. It was only included in the senate's bonding legislation, but still made it into the final bill agreed to by the House and Senate. The center is located at the historic Mudbaden site in Sand Creek Township.
The bill was signed into law after the overall amount of general obligation bonding in the bill was reduced from $925 million to $717 million. Reducing the overall size of the bill reflects Pawlenty's commitment to fiscal discipline and his desire to prioritize important state projects, according to a press release from his office.
Pawlenty said he was disappointed that the legislature exceeded the "credit card limit" that has been maintained by governors and legislators from both parties for the past 30 years.
Additionally, Pawlenty said he believes the capital investment bill as passed was reflective of the legislature's misplaced priorities. As one example, Pawlenty said he found it inconceivable that legislators would fund a brass band music lending library, but not provide funding for a much-needed new nursing facility at the Minneapolis Veterans Home.
The governor's veto letter and a list of the line-item vetoes are attached below as PDF documents.
Shannon Fiecke, a staff writer for the Shakopee Valley News, contributed to this report.