A newly updated letter signed by a growing list of Minnesota Mayors from the metro and outstate Minnesota areas is continuing the pressure on Governor Walz and state lawmakers regarding statewide financial burdens.
Crosslake Mayor Jackson Purfeerst says every unfunded mandate or cost shift at the state level makes for difficult decisions at the local level. He says the strain extends to every part of the community…
“Cities are the level of government closest to the people, responding when snowplows don’t arrive, when streetlights or water mains fail, when businesses need permitting help, or when seniors seek support.”
Purfeerst points out that an historic $18 billion dollar surplus all but disappeared in a single biennium, and the pendulum has swung completely in the opposite direction to a projected $2.9 billion dollar deficit for the 2028-29 biennium.
The latest letter, signed by 241 Minnesota mayors cites the 2026 Minnesota Chamber of Commerce report, which shows Minnesota is ranked 33rd in GDP growth, 39th in job growth, 40th in labor force growth, and 44th in overall tax competitiveness.
From our region, the mayors of Maple Plain, Rogers, Litchfield, Glencoe, Kimball, Darwin, Loretto, Medina, Delano, Watertown, Elk River, Big Lake, Annandale, Otsego, Monticello, Lester Prairie, Waconia, and Dayton recently joined the mayors of Hanover, Montrose, Rockford, Cokato, Corcoran and Watkins who had previously signed a similar letter to state lawmakers.
