Historic preservation office could leave historical society

The work of evaluating whether planned road construction and other projects could harm historic resources could move from the Minnesota Historical Society to the Department of Administration.

Rep. Rob Ecklund (DFL-Intl. Falls), the sponsor of HF2366, said the State Historic Preservation Office is too slow and has difficulty working with other government agencies and businesses. The office would be more efficient if housed in a regulatory agency, argued William Hefner, a Mendota Heights attorney. Hefner said it takes 30 days for the office to respond even to minor, routine inquiries related to the federal historic preservation process.

Rep. Rob Ecklund

The House Government Operations and Elections Policy Committee held an informational hearing on the bill Thursday but took no vote. The companion, SF2077, sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook), awaits action by the Senate State Government Finance and Policy and Elections Committee.

Rep. Kelly Fenton (R-Woodbury) said instead of improving efficiency, moving the office might mean “more of the same but under a different roof.” Rep. Cheryl Youakim (DFL-Hopkins) questioned the wisdom of HF2366, considering “tremendous” budget cuts proposed for the Department of Administration.

The move has the support of Gov. Mark Dayton, who included it among his revised budget recommendations — albeit without a price tag. A cost estimate for relocating 20 employees and updating information technology is in the works, said Matt Scherer, the department’s legislative director.

Scherer said only Minnesota and Ohio house state historic preservation offices outside the executive branch. Minnesota is also an outlier by housing the state archaeologist and state historic preservation office separately; those offices are more closely aligned in 35 states. And Scherer said 18 states house historic preservation offices in agencies that don’t have broader historic preservation functions. 

But Stephen Elliot, director and chief executive officer at the Minnesota Historical Society, said Scherer’s statement means that 32 states, like Minnesota, house their historic preservation offices in agencies that do have historic preservation as a broader primary responsibility. He said the historic preservation office benefits from being part of the society’s heritage preservation department.

“This is a regulatory process that people don’t enjoy, but it’s a process proscribed by federal law,” said Elliot, who disputed that the office takes 30 days to act. The historical society, founded before statehood, is the best place for historic preservation work, he said: “We have service to Minnesota in our DNA.”

The State Historical Preservation Office was established by statute in 1969 with a mission of preserving and promoting Minnesota history by:

• identifying, evaluating, registering and protecting historic and archaeological properties;
• encouraging local history organizations and activities; and
• helping government agencies carry out preservation duties.