Affordable housing is a serious challenge in Olmsted County! Over 18,000 homes are needed in Olmsted County in the next decade. According to recent studies, the housing market is now more expensive than the Twin Cities. We need more single -family homes as there is not enough supply.
The Olmsted County Board serves as the local housing authority. They play a huge role in setting policy to support housing. With programs in place like the GAINs program, more young adults and low -income families will have access to home ownership with down payment assistance. When my wife and with the expansion on the Mayo Clinic, more housing is needed to support the workforce in all our surrounding communities. The more housing, the better for our tax base.
Our young adults, low-income families and seniors need affordable housing. Through public/private partnerships, we can make sure that Olmsted County is a place for everyone to live. I would like to see a 10-15 year strategic plan on affordable housing for Olmsted County. This issue is important to both our city and rural communities.
It is time tell big tech to take a hike! These data center construction projects are so divisive in communities. Just look at how the project is dividing residents in Pine Island. The added resources needed to provide clean water to cool those centers, the amount of power they require, increased noise (humming) and the increased costs passed on to residents is not worth the risk.
Cities have more authority to place zoning restrictions. There could be an opportunity for Olmsted County to pass an ordinance banning current agricultural land to be re-zoned to support big data! Nobles County took action in April.
Two things in life are certain; death and taxes! None of us like paying more in taxes, yet we need dollars to support our roads, law enforcement and other infrastructure. We need budgets that reflect our local priorities.
Inflation has hit us all hard this last year. I was very unhappy when the Minnesota Legislature and Governor FAILED to pass a bonding bill and $4 million in tax relief. Some of the bonding projects would have supported our community and the tax relief could have helped our families and seniors!
The community can be very proud of the staff at Olmsted County Public Health. During the COVID Pandemic, they worked tirelessly to provide vaccinations and to keep the community up to date on the local infection rate. I believe that now is the time to take a look at the lessons that were learned during the last 2 years and start planning so that we can quickly and efficiently address any future health crisis.
We need to invest resources in mental health. When mental health issues are not dealt with, those issues become public safety issues. We need sustainable funding, not grants to target this challenge. I am a strong believer of community lead partnerships that focus on these issues.
I want to be certain our law enforcement have the resources they need to tackle crime, while building positive relationships in our communities. Like many other communities around the country, we are experiencing challenges due to the rising use of narcotics. I believe that this can be addressed through a partnership between law enforcement and public health.
Olmsted County has over 516 highway miles and 216 bridges. Maintaining infrastructure is a priority in both our urban and rural communities. We need to make sure our roads and bridges are well maintained and plan for needed safety upgrades.
My experience working at MnDOT with project managers and maintenance staff , as well as knowledge of how projects are funded will be an asset.
Once again, it is unfortunate the Minnesota Legislature and Governor FAILED to deliver a bonding bill. Had that bill passed, the design and construction of the intersection upgrade of County Highway 44 and US 14 would have been accelerated. Due to delayed inaction, the project will take several more years to be built and the costs to build will increase.
Have questions or suggestions? I would love to hear from you!
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