On Monday afternoon, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will sign a bill that replenishes the state’s disaster assistance contingency account, bolstering it with $40 million in funds, just in time for flooding season.
The funds will help cities and counties across the state with flood-related costs that are not covered by the federal government.
“This is just good governance. It is smart legislating. It is something that comes up from my fellow governors … they wish they had this,” Walz said of the bill.
Walz says city and county leaders will be able to access the funds immediately, as meteorologists have predicted this flooding season could be dangerous, thanks to the winter’s snow totals.
Stillwater’s mayor will be among the first to take advantage of a state fund to help pay the cost of fighting the flooding caused by the St. Croix River.
Mayor Ted Kozlowski says right now, his city is in need of $600,000 to $700,000 for flood-related costs.
“That represents a significant percentage of our annual budget. Those are not dollars that we can just keep on hand,” Kozlowski said. “So, frankly, without these funds, without the legislation that is going to be signed this afternoon, we wouldn’t have the ability to do what we need to do.”
