Community Corner
State of Shutdown: Impact on City of Minnetonka
Minnetonka Patch is telling you how the state shutdown is affecting Minnetonka.
Editor’s note: This article is intended as an overview of how the state shutdown will affect Minnetonka. Throughout the day Friday, check with Minnetonka Patch for more in-depth articles on each one of the topic areas below.
City Services
Although the Minnesota State Government has shut down, the City of Minnetonka expects effects of the shutdown on the city and its residents to be “very minimal.”
Find out what's happening in Minnetonkawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Minnetonka receives little, if any, local government aid payments from the state each year. For that reason, according to, local residents will see almost no change in the services that the city provides, now that the government has shut down.
According to the city, elevator inspections will be one of the few city services affected by the shutdown. Any project that requires an elevator inspection from the state will be delayed. That said, the city does not expect any city building inspections to be affected.
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Also, utility permits will not be available from the state during the shutdown, nor will private utilities be allowed to work in on state highways unless it’s an extreme emergency. But city officials tell Patch that these constrictions should not affect any developments in Minnetonka.
One of the most crucial services that the city provides are the emergency services of its police and fire departments. But even with the government shutdown, the and have no concerns about the safety of city residents.
Although a state shutdown has closed the State Fire Marshal’s office, the city said they do not foresee day-to-day operations changing much because they are, for the most part, able to conduct fire investigations, inspections and public education, on their own.
“If there is a large dollar loss fire, fatal fire or a fire which causes injuries we typically request help from a Deputy State Fire Marshal Investigator…we will utilize the Hennepin County Fire Chief’s Fire Investigation Team,” a city official told Patch.
Minnetonka police will continue to have access to motor vehicle registrations, driver’s license information and criminal histories. Also, all Minnetonka police officers have current drivers licenses.
While most state payments to Minnetonka schools will continue, the state won't fund a handful of areas, including special education programs. And without the approval of a K-12 budget bill at the statehouse, state school districts might be left picking up the slack for unfunded programs, like special education, should the shutdown continue into the start of the school year.
Special education funding alone is a sizeable chunk of the Minnetonka school’s district’s $89 million annual budget, according to Minnetonka Schools Spokeswoman Janet Swiecichowski. During the 2010-2011 school year, Minnetonka schools spent more than $14 million on special education services for local students.
In response to the shutdown, and only hours before it went into effect, the Minnetonka School Board passed a cash flow borrowing plan, approving the use of $6,080,000 in Aid Anticipation Certificates, to make up any gap from a shortfall in state funding. Also, the district has a previously authorized Line of Credit with Associated Bank in the amount of $7,500,000.
In total, the district currently has just over $13.5 million in cash access to use through August 2012—and that’s beyond the $8 million in other funds that the district maintains on a continuous basis.
In a statement at Thursday’s meeting, the school board concluded that, “It is prudent for us to ensure that we utilize all options available for school districts to have cash on hand to meet our obligations during the pending State shutdown.”
Last night, the Minnetonka School Board also passed next year’s operating budget—a budget in which spending will remain flat, even with a two percent increase in student enrollment.
Local Legislators
(DFL-District 43) spent much of the past few days advocating for an agreement between the Governor and Republicans leaders, telling Patch on Thursday, "We must find compromise...we must avert a shutdown."
But with the shutdown in place, the Senator's concern turned to those now affected.
“I worry about the disability community," she said. "I worry about anything that gets state funding, about those who are most volunerable among us.”
(R-District 42) took to the internet just minutes before the shutdown became official, tweeting "disappointed that Governor Dayton has chosen to inflict maximum pain for political gain."
told Patch that a shutdown would hurt Minnesota's workers most.
"A shutdown would be like kicking a guy when he's down," he said.
MnDOT Projects
One bump in the road to government shutdown has been , which has come to a screeching halt.
After more than a week of back-and-forth negotiations between the city and MnDOT, the State Transportation Commissioner upheld a decision to stop work on the project, citing a risk to public safety if construction is allowed to continue without MnDOT inspectors on-site.
The city had argued that because the state’s share of the funding for the project has already been appropriated and paid, and because the city of Minnetonka, not MnDOT, is fully administering the construction, the government shutdown should not shut down this project.
Gunyou, who reacted to the news with disappointment, predicts that such a delay to the project would cost Minnetonka taxpayers as much as $3.1 million—about one-third of the city’s annual roads budget.
Basic care for Minnesotans in prison, nursing and veteran homes, and state hospitals, will continue to receive state funding during the shutdown. For that reason, many Minnetonka nonprofits like St. David’s Center and can expect most of their regular funding.
“It’s tremendous relief—one for the families that we serve but also for the broader community,” Maureen Walsh director of community relations and development at Minnetonka’s for Child & Family Development.
Cathy Maes, executive director of Minnetonka-based said that unlike many Minneapolis nonprofits, ICA does not depend on state money to operate. That means that this shutdown will not directly hurt the local food pantry. But Maes does expect more demand from residents who are individually hurt by the shutdown.
“We anticipate people then coming into our locations who normally have not used us,” she said.
One local nonprofit that will feel the impact of this shutdown is the . Many locals depend on government assistance to cover childcare costs at the YMCA and that assistance has stopped with the shutdown.
“We’ve made decisions, and communicated those with customers impacted,” Bette Fenton, YMCA spokeswoman said.
While Fenton declined to go into the specifics of how many families are affected or what contingency plans have been put in place for those who depend on state subsidized childcare at their local YMCA, she did acknowledge the significant impact the shutdown will have.
“Childcare would be huge,” Fenton told Patch on Thursday.
DNR
The Fourth of July is traditionally the busiest week of the year for state parks, campgrounds and recreational areas, but all were locked at 4 p.m. Thursday and will remain closed until further notice. Statewide, 73 State Park and Recreation areas will close—17 in the DNR’s central region—as will 40 State Forest campgrounds, according to Courtland Nelson, director of the DNR Division of Parks and Trails.
The DNR will lose $2 million dollars statewide in the first two weeks of July and just under $1 million dollars during each of the third and fourth weeks of July, Nelson said.
Ecological monitoring will now come to a halt—which could have a profound impact on Lake Minnetonka. Zebra mussels were discovered in Lake Minnetonka last summer, and the DNR has made quelling their spread a top priority.
DNR officials had scheduled the most invasive species inspections in state history for this summer, as part of that effort. The State Legislature recently approved increasing the DNR’s inspections authority and added teeth to current enforcement measures. But all this is now in jeopardy because of the government shutdown.
Parks maintained by counties, such as the Minnewashta Regional Park, and those operated by independent bodies like the Three Rivers Park District will remain open and be largely unaffected. The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District should also escape most effects of a state government shutdown. The district encompasses 181 square miles that include Minnetonka, Minnehaha Creek, the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes and Minnehaha Falls.
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Follow the latest shutdown developments on Minnetonka Patch:
July 5:
July 5: State of Shutdown: Impact on Minnetonka Public Safety
July 1: State of Shutdown: Replay of Final Hours
July 1: State of Shutdown: Impact on City of Minnetonka
July 1: State of Shutdown: Impact on Locals
June 30: Countdown to Shutdown
June 30: Teen Clinics Await Their Fate During Shutdown
June 30: Does Shutdown Impact You?
June 29: Judge Rules on Essential Services
June 24: Local Nonprofits, Hospitals Brace for Shutdown
June 23: 169 Project, Taxpayers: Political Pawns as Shutdown Looms?
June 23: State Shutdown Would Freeze DNR, Close State Parks
June 23: Hennepin County Battens Down Hatches for Shutdown
Share your shutdown photos or stories with Minnetonka Editor Katelynn Metz.
Keep up with shutdown developments on our Minnetonka Patch Facebook page.
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Shutdown coverage from around the state:
July 4:
The Business Times: Holiday weekend in Minnesota with state services idle
Kare 11: Businesses struggling in shutdown but still open
Kare 11: Minnesota Zoo back open, horse track still closed
Minnesota Public Radio: Marking July 4th during a government shutdown
Northland’s News Center: Tourists Hit Minnesota State Parks Despite Government Shut Down
Politico: Cooling-off period in Minnesota
Pioneer Press: Libertarians see opportunity in Minnesota shutdown
Pioneer Press: Disabled girl's family on edge without Minnesota aid during shutdown
Star Tribune: Businesses feel immediate bite
WDAY: Family Camps in Own Backyard due to Minnesota Shutdown
July 3:
CNN: Minnesota government shutdown could last days longer
KARE 11: Food shelves bracing for government shutdown impact
KSTP-TV: Shutdown Creates Block on Background Checks
Pioneer Press: Battle lines that preceded state government shutdown were drawn between Dayton, GOP after last fall's elections
Politico: Minnesota mean at heart of government shutdown
Reuters: Minnesotans frustrated, angry over state government shutdown
Star Tribune: Shutdown cost will bring sticker shock
Star Tribune: Losing 'non-essential' services hurts
Star Tribune: Dozens flow in at outset of Minnesota Zoo reopening
WDAY: No Talks Expected Before Tuesday for Minnesota Shutdown
July 2:
Duluth News Tribune: Minnesota state employees call for budget compromise
NPR: Minnesota Shutdown Hits Vulnerable First
New York Times: Closing a State? The Rules Are Tricky
KARE 11: State workers shudder at indefinite shutdown
KARE 11: Family finances get a new look after officials fail to fix the state's budget
Reuters: Minnesotans frustrated, angry over state government shutdown
Star Tribune: No holiday from the impasse
Star Tribune: 'Closed' doesn't deter park visitors
Pioneer Press: Who's to blame? Depends on who's doing the talking
Pioneer Press: For those cut off from aid, a plea: 'What about us?'
July 1:
Finance & Commerce: Shutdown not seen harming Minnesota’s reputation
KSTP-TV: What's Open or Closed During Government Shutdown
Minnesota Public Radio: Recap: A week of negotiation ends in stalemate
Minnesota Public Radio: Confusion over which services will be funded
New York Times: No End in Sight as Minnesotans Grapple With State Shutdown
Pioneer Press: What can you do during the shutdown?
Politico: Minnesota government shutdown puts Tim Pawlenty in spotlight
Star Tribune: Judge hears argument over zoo shutdown
Star Tribune: What's open, what's closed: your guide to the state shutdown
Washington Post: Minnesota government shutdown reflects widespread budget paralysis
June 30:
MinnPost: GOP leaders again seek special session, but Dayton says global deal needed first
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