The Mesabi Daily News ran an editorial Sunday calling on lawmakers to push local governments to support shared services. I agree. This falls in line with my recent call for an Iron Range Congress for local governments and schools to start meeting as soon as possible to discuss consolidation and maximization of our increasingly limited resources. By getting our Iron Range fiscal house in order, lawmakers will have a clearer path to seek the funding needed to fill the gaps. The Minnesota Miracle II school funding legislation would benefit by this action in particular.
The MDN editorial is specifically focused on a shared wastewater treatment plant for the Virginia, Eveleth and Fayal Township. But the idea can be applied for much more services and many more places. The active involvement of local legislators might be the only thing that can get all the parties to the table. They are the only”local” officials whose constituencies overlap multiple cities, school districts and counties.
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