C ommunity

While opinions differ about the state legislature’s signature accomplishments this session, there is no disputing that the past five months at the State Capitol marked the most impactful legislative session in decades. This proved true in a profound way for counties, too. Below are a few key state legislative changes that will significantly affect county services and costs for residents of northern Dakota County.

$5 million for public safety - One-time state funding of $5 million to Dakota County will be used for purchase and replacement of safety equipment and for work on the county jail. Local cities are receiving public safety funding as well. The State also approved a larger reimbursement to counties, including Dakota, that handle probation services. This will ease the burden on local property taxes.

Property taxes - Six million dollars a year in ad -

TPAC events

Unless noted, all activities take place at Thompson Park Activity Center, 1200 Stassen Lane, West St. Paul. Events are for ages 55 and older. To register, call 651403-8300.

Nice Cars & Ice Cream, 1-2 p.m., Wednesday, July 26. Classic cars and new electric cars will be on display throughout Thompson County Park. The event includes ice cream sundaes and music. Free.

Neighborhood Garden Tour, 9:30-11:45 p.m. Carpool will meet at the TPAC office at 9:15 a.m. Space is limited to 12 people. Cost is $12.

Conversational Spanish for Beginners, 9:30-10:30 a.m., Wednesdays, July 12-Aug. 23. Registration required. $40 for seven sessions.

Looney Tunes, 11 a.m.noon, Monday, July 24. Traveling naturalist Melonie Shipman will share an uncommon presentation on the common loon. Registration required. Cost is $8.

Neighbors, Inc. volunteer opportunities, 10-11 a.m., Tuesday, July 25. Registration required. Cost is $3 plus a food shelf donation or $8 without.

Mystery Book Club , 10:30 a.m.-noon, second Tuesday of the month. $10 annually.

Computer help, 9 a.m.noon each Monday. TPAC

Joe Atkins Dakota County Commissioner

ditional County Program

Aid from the State to Dakota County will help hold down county property taxes for 2024. Dakota County currently is home to Minnesota’s lowest county property taxes, per capita, out of the state’s 87 counties, and additional state aid will help allow this to continue. The homestead exemption and other tax credits were also tweaked to help hold down property taxes for homeowners.

$6 million grant for volunteer mentors assist with questions regarding handheld devices and home-based technology. Free.

Duluth Vista Fleet Cruise, Wednesday, Aug. 9. Must register by July 7. Enjoy a one-hour harbor cruise to experience the wonders of Lake Superior. Cost is $99; includes lunch and transportation.

Bikes for kindergartners

Garlough Environmental Magnet School in West St. Paul is seeking nearly $13,000 in donations to purchase 50 bikes to be used in kindergarten PE class. The school is working with the nonprofit All Kids Bike, which offers an 8-week Learn-to-Ride curriculum, Strider bikes, pedal conversion kits, helmets, a teacher instruction bike and teacher training. At Garlough, the program would annually teach approximately 75 kindergarten students how to ride a bike. The equipment is expected to last 7-10 years.

All Kids Bike is a program of the Strider Education Foundation. It was launched in 2018 and is now in more than 900 schools in all 50 states. The goal is to get kids more physically active and reduce child obesity. According to the foundation, children spend an average of seven hours a day on a screen.

For more information or to make a donation, mental health crisis center

- The State awarded Dakota County a $6 million grant to help construct a crisis and recovery center in West St. Paul. The project will help people get mental health care locally, offering a welcoming place for mental health assessment, support and shortterm residential treatment. Thank you to local legislators for their work on this project, which will be located next to the Dakota County Service Center on Mendota Road.

$2 million for Thompson County Park - Dakota County also received a state grant to continue improvements at Thompson County Park near Butler and Highway 52, with a focus on accessibility and natural resource protection.

Transportation and housing - Over $20 million annually will flow directly into Dakota County for additional investments in roads, bridges, transit and af- fordable housing. Local cities will receive additional funding for these purposes as well. To pay for this increase in funding to local governments, the legislature approved a one percent increase in the sales tax metrowide as well as new retail delivery fee.

Cannabis - Legalization of marijuana for adult use will impact local governments in ways we are still researching. For good or ill, the new law places limits on local control of where and how marijuana can be grown, distributed and sold.

In other, non-legislative news…

Public safety town meeting - South Metro Fire Chief Mark Juelfs and South St. Paul Police Chief Brian Wicke joined me for a public safety-focused town meeting recently. Thank you to Chiefs Juelfs and Wicke as well as everyone who participated in a lively discussion focused on activity in South St. Paul and West St. Paul. This was my third town meeting in the last two months and the feedback from more than 130 attendees guides my work as county commissioner. For anyone unable to join me at a town meeting, I can always be reached at 651-438-4430 or Joe.Atkins@co.dakota. mn.us.

Road repair vote - In June, the Dakota County Board voted to award more than $10 million in road repair work across Dakota County. The bids received were very competitive and came in $1.2 million under preliminary estimates. The largest of 19 different projects starts in South St. Paul and extends south into Inver Grove Heights, but there are also projects in West St. Paul, Mendota Heights and elsewhere across the county. Local cities are also starting up significant road preservation and repair projects.

Garlough mural project and bison earn national awards - Dakota County projects are receiving prestigious national awards on July 23, including the Garlough Tunnel mural created by elementary school students in West St. Paul and our new bison herd at Spring Lake Park Reserve in Rosemount. The National Association of Counties selected the nation’s top projects, out of over 3,000 counties nationwide. visit allkidsbike.org/give.

Baby boom - Dakota County’s bison herd grew from eight to 12 over the past two months, with the birth of four calves. Our grant-funded American bison project is part of the Minnesota Conservation Herd, which aims to restore the nation’s official mammal to 500 animals here in Minnesota.

Next month we will look at more local projects and services, as well as a few amazing individual achievements.

Volunteers needed

DARTS seeks volunteers to mow lawns for area seniors. The nonprofit encourages groups of friends, families and coworkers to adopt a yard for the summer to help a senior remain independent for as long as possible. To sign up or to learn more, contact DARTS at volunteer@darts1.org or call 651-455-1560.

Host families needed

ASSE International Student Exchange is seeking families to host high school exchange students studying at local high schools this coming school year. Families may select boys or girls ages 15-18 from all over the world. The students have received a scholarship to cover their expenses. For more information or to apply, call Tammy at 715-497-6696 or visit www.host.asse.com.

Tour de Rec

The City of West St. Paul will have free games, activities and arts and crafts for youth ages 6-12 at parks this summer. No registration required. Hours are 1:30-2:30 p.m. The traveling program will be at Harmon Park July 18, Mendakota Park July 25 and Garlough Elementary Aug. 1.

Members of Humboldt High School class of 1946 recently celebrated their 77th reunion at Joseph’s Restaurant on the West Side. Attending were (back row) Joe Zaine, Betty Manteufel Root, Delores Reimer Trombley; (front) Gerry Miller, Willa Mae Busse Munch, Betty Lou Lindgren Rosas and Phyllis Kress Brown. Not shown are Bob Backlund and Mary Claire Maher.