Sometimes it feels like life in a rural area is just one long string of budget cuts. It’s a perception thing, perhaps. Rural areas expanded services as their populations crested decades ago. Since then, the population has dropped and everything got more expensive.
But this is a heck of a way to live; a constant drag, actually. And every once in a while something you truly care about ends up on the chopping block.
That’s the subject of today’s column.
On May 27, hundreds packed the Itasca County Board of Directors meeting to support a joint powers agreement between the county and city of Grand Rapids. Their goal: maintain service levels at the Grand Rapids Area Library.
But the push comes amid tightening budgets across the board. It’s happening in small towns throughout Minnesota. To keep the things we value, we’ll need to make some hard decisions.
Read “Rising costs force small towns into some tough spots” in the Thursday, June 5, 2025 edition of the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Aaron J. Brown is a columnist and member of the editorial board for the Minnesota Star Tribune. His new book about Hibbing Mayor Victor Power and his momentous fight against the world’s largest corporation will be out soon.
