City Update - 09/26/2025 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Anoka County ADMINISTRATION Communications September 24, 2025 Contact: Erik Thorson, Chief Communications Officer, 763-324-4612, or e-mail: Erik. Thorson@anokacountvmn. aov FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Resolution Passed Opposing Use of County Funding for City Project The Anoka County Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution Sept. 23 that opposes the use of regional transportation sales and use tax funds to build a third pedestrian bridge in downtown Anoka. During the last special session, the Minnesota Legislature, without meaningful communication with Anoka County, diverted $6.2 million away from the county to the City of Anoka for the Rum River Dam Bridge project. That plan includes a pedestrian and maintenance bridge, a navigation lock for pontoons and other watercraft to navigate the area, and a sectioned - off area dedicated to the sport of river surfing. Anoka County believes that action was a misuse of the legislative process, yielding poor public policy. It also ignores the voice of the Anoka County board. Some of the funding Anoka County receives from the state is dedicated to an "active transportation fund" this money is statutorily required to be used countywide for sidewalk, trail, and bicycle network projects that enhance pedestrian opportunities. The City of Anoka's bridge concept will take approximately $4.9 million of this funding in 2026 and $1.3 million in 2027. The county had been planning to use this funding for projects that have a countywide benefit, such as improved trail accessibility for Kordiak Park in Columbia Heights, which serves as a Safe Routes to School facility for students; a grade -separated underpass on the Rum River Regional Trail in the City of St. Francis, which has been identified as a dangerous mid -block crossing on Bridge Street; and improvements to Bunker Hills Regional Park in the cities of Andover and Coon Rapids, which services about 850,000 visitors each year. All three of the county's projects have been delayed three years as a result of the funding shift. -more- Respectful, Innovative, Fiscally Responsible Government Center A 2100 3rd Avenue, Suite 700 A Anoka, MN 55303-5024 A www.anokacountymn.gov Office: 763-324-4700 A Fax: 763-324-5490 Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer