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The Minnesota legislature ended this year’s session in May and came back in June for a special session to complete required work. With the backdrop of 2023’s historic changes, the 2025 session got off to a bumpy start, didn’t see sweeping changes, and ultimately ended in tragedy. Here’s a look at how the session will impact West St. Paul.
Reviews
“Our top job this session was to balance the budget, and we did so while still protecting the significant gains we made in 2023,” said DFL Senator Matt Klein. One of those gains was tying education funding to inflation, which was targeted this session but ultimately preserved.
When asked for current impacts, Klein mentioned transparent ticket pricing and click to cancel—”people in West St. Paul should notice a difference,” he said—though both were passed in previous sessions.
Thompson Park
The biggest ticket item for West St. Paul is $867,000 earmarked for Thompson County Park to help pay for accessible paths, native plantings, and daylighting a stream.
- These are just a few of the items Dakota County pitched for phase two improvements to Thompson Park. Previously the county asked for $10 million in state money.
- The money needs to be spent by June 30, 2029.
Education
The session was a mixed bag for education:
- Funding: While ISD 197 will see $500,000 more than expected in compensatory education funding, it’s offset by cuts in special education transportation aid.
- Future cuts: The legislature is also looking for future cuts to education, totaling $420 million by 2029. They established blue ribbon committee tasked with finding $250 million worth of cuts to special education. If that committee can’t come to an agreement, special education funding will be reduced across all districts. “In either scenario, we anticipate further reductions in special education funding, even as the number of our students requiring these vital services continues to rise,” said ISD 197 Superintendent Peter Olson-Skog.
- Flexibility: Other changes include expanded flexibility in how compensatory revenue can be used and new authorization to include roof repairs in long-term facility maintenance planning. Both measures give districts more flexibility with otherwise restricted funding.
Open Meeting Law
The legislature relaxed the open meeting law, which requires elected officials to hold meetings available to the public. The changes effectively make some of the COVID-era allowances for virtual meetings permanent, as argued in this opinion piece from an advocate for open government.
West St. Paul City Manager Nate Burkett said they’re still considering how to implement changes, noting that it’s a challenge when Council members appear virtually, but they want to allow for it when appropriate. Options might be discussed this fall or in January with new Council rules.
The last time a Council member appeared virtually was last fall. Going back to 2021, virtual appearances range from a low of one in 2024 to a high of 10 in 2022. However, there’s an inverse correlation with Council absences—they hit a high of 12 in 2024 and a low of two in 2022. That implies virtual meetings increase attendance.
Other Impacts
- Police training: West St. Paul will lose about $20,000 in police training aid, though Burkett dismissed it as not a big deal.
- Grants: Several state grants were approved this session to help cities with affordable housing, emerald ash borer, and environmental issues. West St. Paul will likely apply, though there’s no indication we’ll get any funding.
- Close call: County Commissioner Joe Atkins expressed gratitude that a proposal to move sales tax funds from counties to the Met Council failed, a measure that would have cost Dakota County $14 million and impacted projects like the current Butler Avenue improvements.
Back for More?
As Congress debates President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” the state legislature may need to return for another special session to address imminent cuts. There’s an estimated $1.2 billion in cuts for Minnesota, mostly to Medicaid and food stamps. More than 250,000 Minnesotans could lose their health insurance and 45,000 could lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
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