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Legislative Update; Audit of Southwest Light Rail PASSES

Friday, March 4, 2022

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE FROM

REP. JEREMY MUNSON - DISTRICT 23B

Sunday, March 4th, 2022

Yesterday the House voted on a bipartisan bill to audit the twin cities Southwest Light Rail Transit (SWLRT) project. The SWLRT project continues to be a burden to all Minnesota taxpayers, and even those far from its route from Minneapolis-Saint Paul to Eden Prairie.  

Not only are they saying the project will take an estimated three more years than initially thought but that it will take an additional $550 million to complete. This cost has been rising steadily since the project began and has nearly tripled from $1 billion to $2.75 billion. These costs are put directly onto the backs of the taxpayers for a service that has seen ridership plummet. 

Once this audit is complete, there will be tough choices ahead for the legislature and Governor Walz or the next Governor. The legislature will then need to make the tough choice of whether to kill the project and incur hundreds of millions of repayments to the Federal Government or to find a way to complete the project that doesn’t incur even more multi-billion-dollar costs. The Office of the Legislative Auditor has traditionally been exceptional at producing non-partisan and unbiased reports that take a hard look at government and hopefully it will make a path through this dilemma clear. 

Thank you for being engaged in your government,

Jeremy Munson

State Representative, 23B

Contact:

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact my office or me. We are still attempting to provide regular contact remotely, so if you have other needs, please email my Legislative Assistant, Grayson, at Grayson.mcnew@house.mn.

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