Local leaders meet with Hauschild, Skraba during legislative visit

The Minnesota legislative session is in full swing, but Cook County’s legislators, Sen. Grant Hauschild and Rep. Roger Skraba, spent Friday, March 21 in Grand Marais to hear from local leaders and voters. Hauschild hosted a town hall meeting in the afternoon, but both he and Skraba started the day at the Cook County Courthouse to hear about legislative priorities for the area.

The legislators heard short presentations from a variety of stakeholders, both epresentatives of government and non-profit organizations. The presentations ranged widely in topic as different groups explained the importance of their projects and efforts.

The following individuals presented on behalf of their organizations or departments:

• Emergency Manager Mike Keyport and MIS Director/Interim Administrator Rowan Watkins – emergency management funding and improving weather radar coverage
• County Assessor Bob Thompson and Auditor Treasurer Braidy Powers – fiscal disparities program and property tax classification
• Soil & Water District Manager Ilena Hansel and Aquatic Invasive Species Program Supervisor Amanda Weberg – staffing for SWCD and resources for managing local waterways
• Public Health Supervisor Grace Grinager, Children & Family Services Supervisor Nancie Deming, and Violence Prevention Center Director Lindsey Gau – funding for victim services programs, child care, and mental health services
• Land Services Director Tim Nelson and Planning and Zoning Administrator Neva Maxwell – solid waste management
• Housing Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Jeff Brand and HRA Board Member Bill Hansen – supporting affordable housing
• North Shore Health CEO Kimber Wraalstad and Board Chair Randy Wiitala – healthcare related bills at the legislature
• ISD 166 Superintendent Chris Lindholm and School Board Member Rena Rogers – funding for school district staff and for infrastructure
• Grand Marais Mayor Tracy Benson and City Parks Manager Dave Tersteeg – Wastewater treatment and erosion management in the East Bay
• Grand Portage Reservation Tribal Council Secretary/Treasurer April McCormick and RTC Vice-Chair Agatha Armstrong – county taxation of tribal lands and the impact of federal funding changes.

While the organizations presenting at the meeting all had separate specific requests, there were several themes that emerged across the topics.

Wastewater management was cited as a priority by both the City of Grand Marais and the HRA. Natural resource management and protection was brought up by several groups.

Property tax reform was touched on by Thompson and Powers, and again by Lindholm and Rogers. How to address property taxes in an area with so many non-homesteaded properties and vacation rentals has long been a question for Cook County. The ongoing discussion impacts schools because the current laws exempt vacation rentals and second homes from school levies. Hauschild is on the taxation committee at the state legislature, and recently introduced legislation that could change that.

While childcare access and health resources for children was only on the agenda for the presentation by Grinager, Deming, and Gau, the need for support for families came up several times. This included an acknowledgement from McCormick that Hauschild’s young daughter was in attendance at the meeting. McCormick said as a working parent, herself, it was meaningful to her to see. Hauschild is the author of co-author of several child care related bills currently being considered.

A video of the March 21 Community Town Hall at the Cook County YMCA hosted by Senator Hauschild is below.

Kirsten Wisniewski March 21, 2025