What should Minnesota do with its budget surplus?
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"Since interest rates are going up, I think we should focus on infrastructure repairs so that we do not incur additional debt/interest payments from bonding." — Brad
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"Expand student financial aid to reduce or eliminate tuition at public 2- and 4-year colleges." — Greg Murphy
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A few suggestions from our Facebook page:
" Pay back public debt." — Gabriel Aguirre"Roads, schools, jobs." — Alec Timmerman"Infrastructure investments and higher education." — Andrew M. Svec"Hold onto it because a recession is just around the corner." — Roni Brunner"Since it's been brought up recently, help fund more dental care for the poor." David Wilford"Social Security income should not be taxed. Most older folks have special care needs (either for very old parents or for spouses or themselves) that require expensive care." — Idelle Peterson
"Create new electric vehicle incentives to match the federal ones that may now be in jeopardy. This would also help to support automotive manufacturers that provide electric options.
Perhaps also fund PSA's to educate the public about the benefits of electric vehicles — from parking, charging, and preheating in the garage without polluting your home to not watching your metal exhaust rust away due to salt and not contributing to black ice in the winter. They will be the only way we can quickly curb our carbon emissions and will also maximize the effects of transitioning to renewable energy." — Jason Groutwells"Shore up infrastructure and spend the time to work with some of the metro school districts that have been seriously struggling to remain sustainable — not just support financially, but assist in reforming/restructuring." — Eric Nelsen"Let's help out our farmers, pay our teachers more, help make health care more accessible, and invest in our wonderful state and regional park systems. :) I love living in Minnesota, I'm so proud of our state!" — Laura Ketcher
"Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and create a task force for MMIW and a human trafficking task force in Minnesota." — Rene Ann Goodrich"They should keep part of it for an emergency and return the rest." — Kris Windom"There is a desperate need for LOW-INCOME HOUSING, at least in Mankato there is. "Affordable housing" is built, but it is NOT affordable for low income, and the wait list for Section 8 housing is a long wait (over a year). It's a real issue." — Laurie Evans"Bank it, use the interest to fund police and fire, schools, infrastructure, and social programs. Wait for the next downturn and use where appropriate. Why spend money and time yo-yoing it back to us to take it away later?" — Daniel C. Jensen -
"Put a good share of it into a rainy day account so that when the economy bumps down, we don't have to raid our school allotments to keep the government running." — Anonymous
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"The state needs to deal with tax conformity. Although I know there are so many worthy services that need funding, my understanding is that tax conformity will unintentionally cause a sizable tax increase. Balancing that out a little will need to be part of the mix. That does not mean cutting taxes on social security income. I'd like to see a tax scale-back that keeps our present level of progressiveness or more." — Carolyn Jackson
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"I think we should spend it on infrastructure. I used to think schools were the top priority but I don't believe they make the best use of the money they do get and our infrastructure is in dire need of upgrading." — Lee Newton
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"Education and infrastructure. In other words, investing for Minnesota in the next 1-3 decades. Imagine the downstream benefits to the state and its people if we used this money on hiring additional teachers and teaching support staff so that our high school graduates are head and shoulders above those of every other state in the nation. Small business would benefit from better prepared employees. Large businesses would be attracted to the state because of the quality of its workforce. With an influx of skilled jobs, average wages would increase, leading to further economic benefits to the state and its people. Of course, all this growth would require a sturdy, advanced infrastructure, which is why I believe setting and funding big, long-term public education and infrastructure goals go hand in hand." — Aaron Sackett
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"Invest in mental health care finally! I am a certified peer support specialist. Several of our class graduated in April 2017. Shortly after graduation we found out the Minnesota had no funds to put us to work. Many of us are still looking for employment as a CPS. If Minnesota refuses to fund us this coming year we will have to be re-certified which is an expensive re-education. Local mental health providers will not employ us directly because they don't want to dig into their own profits." — Nicholas Guy
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"We need more affordable and homeless housing. The Cedar Ave homeless camp is a human rights crisis and the people there need a safe place to stay, especially in the dead of winter. We don't need more expensive high rise apartments in the city that only the richest people can afford. We need more homeless shelters and low income affordable housing so that people on the brink of homelessness don't end up homeless because they can't afford exorbitant rent prices." — Elizabyth Ladwig
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"Spend some (60 percent) of it on infrastructure (public transportation as a priority), public safety, and public preK — 12 education. Put focus on out-state Minnesota. Retain the remainder (40 percent) as a rainy day fund. If we need more funds for roads, raise the gas tax slightly to augment." — Anonymous
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"Raise the gas tax so we have money in the future to pay for transportation issues. Put money aside to cover short falls in the future. Then use money for education." — Anonymous
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"More correctional officers in state prisons, including health and mental health care providers. I've visited two facilities frequently over the past two years and I wonder if tensions would be reduced and life saving humane services improved with an increased investment." — Celine Graham
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"Invest in building and preserving housing that is affordable for all ages and income levels." — Derek Reise
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"Put it toward funding schools, which could include among many things funding for gardens and greenhouses where kids can grow their own vegetables for lunches. Also put it towards green initiatives." — Anonymous
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"Give it back to the taxpayers that paid in taxes. Minnesota is so bad for taxes that I am seriously considering moving to a more tax friendly state. Why are our taxes so high and why is there such a huge surplus. The elected officials are usually wealthy and do not care about the common person that gets taxed more and more while expenses go up and no raises are given by employers. It just does not make sense." — Anonymous
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"Return half to Minnesota taxpayers, because we only started having surpluses when we increased our tax rates to an uncompetitive level. With the other half, spend it on a one-time need. Do not start a new ongoing program, because this surplus may well be temporary. It is a byproduct of a strong global economy." — Anonymous
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"Pay for and institute a nonpartisan panel to draw up Congressional district boundaries after the next census. Both parties are prone to gerrymandering when in power. This would allow for a more equitable system to serve all the people of Minnesota. It's a golden opportunity to come up with a meaningful compromise with a centrist DFL governor and split DFL/Republican house and senate majorities." — Rolf Erdahl
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"Develop a Green New Deal for Minnesota and invest more in public schools." — Anonymous
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"With rising property values and thus property taxes, people on fixed incomes are being forced to sell their homes. 1) Increase Local Government Aid so local property taxes can be reduced. 2) Increase the Property Tax Refund (which helps renters too)." — Ron Bardell
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"We the people must learn to elect people who know how to balance a budget. Private accountants could then review them for any waste. The surplus means that the citizens were over taxed. Not returning the surplus to the tax payers is stealing." — April
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"Increase public school funding." — Maurya Laqua
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"1) Increase the availability of quality child care for low income families. 2) Expand the amount of affordable housing for low income families and seniors in both the metro and Greater Minnesota. 3) Increase job training for young people who do not have post-secondary education. 4) Increase the rainy day fund. 5) Protect people hurt by the federal tax changes." — Dru Osterud
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"Return any surplus to the tax payers that paid it. It is over taxation." — Richard DeCramer
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"Fund an OLPR & BJS Ombudsman! Oversight over two rogue agencies is needed ASAP!" — Jessica
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"Help the seniors out in Minnesota. We are poor and getting poorer. Groceries go up, housing goes up, prescriptions cost more. Please help us. I know it is always families, and schools and little children but we are worth something too!" — Cheryl R. Grussing
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"Use it in part to make up for the money the feds just pulled from Minnesota’s health care." — Anonymous
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"Majority should go back to the taxpayer. Every time programs receive new funding, then that becomes the new normal. Entitlement sets in. Minnesota is already one of the highest taxing states. Additional school funding should go teach English to those in need. Then remove dedicated interpreters from the schools." — Anonymous
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"Affordable housing investments. Transit." — Anonymous
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"Pass a tax bill to conform state law with the new federal tax code so people aren't seeing drastic increases to their taxes next year." — Anonymous
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"Tobacco and vape prevention grants." — Anonymous
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"Since interest rates are going up, I think we should focus on infrastructure repairs so that we do not incur additional debt/interest payments from bonding." — Brad
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"Please use the surplus to address homelessness, food scarcity and poverty. It's not a surplus if these problems are still happening in our state." — Alena Temple
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"Save it for the inevitable economic downturn. In the meantime, invest it so it earns interest. Similar to what Alaska does with their PFD." — Zoyx
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"More family home visiting and full day, full year high quality early childhood education." — Mary Vanderwert
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"A surplus like this is an opportunity to do something important we're not already doing. Set up a fund and use it to create plans for *adapting* to climate change. Yes — keep fighting climate change by quickly and efficiently supporting the transition to zero-carbon lifestyles. But it's also time now to plan how to care for the most vulnerable and for each other as increasing effects of climate change (floods, drought, heat, cold) have serious impacts on life in all parts of our state. We need a planning commission to focus specifically on this increasing challenge. Part of the surplus could fund this commission, and part should be reserved for aid to communities hit by extreme weather events." — Anonymous
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"Schools, affordable housing, infrastructure." — Harriet Hallberg
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"First thought is infrastructure and more though to repairing roads." — Mark Voorhees
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"Ensure that schools are fully funded. Then, put some aside so that schools can continue to be fully funded if there is an economic downturn and there is a budget deficit. Work with counties to ensure that social services (i.e. social workers, foster care, adult foster care, respite care, PCA, etc.) have adequate funding." — Kelly Anderson