Flaherty & Hood has secured bonding for many clients and is available to help advance your project next session. Even year legislative sessions are traditionally larger bonding years and 2012 should be no exception. State agencies and local governments have made preliminary requests to the Minnesota Management and Budget Office (MMB).
To date, the preliminary requests total $2.256 billion: $1.757 billion from state agencies and $499 million from local governments. Governor Dayton will submit his Strategic Capital Budget to the Legislature on January 15, 2012. Not all projects will get funded so it is important to make your project stand out.
- Jobs and economic development: Provide information on the jobs retained or created for your project. While it can be hard to quantify, legislators want to know the estimated number of short-term and long-term jobs that will be created. Another important piece of information is the economic impact to the area. What is the annual economic benefit of the project? Will it bring out of state dollars to the area?
- Community support and partnerships: Show how a wide array of stakeholders in your community support the project. This includes area legislators, city councils, county officials, local businesses, educational institutions, associations, coalitions or other community groups.
- Start early and stay connected: It is not too early to contact the Governor’s office and the House and Senate Capital Investment Committees. Share with committee members, chairs and the governor’s bonding staff what makes your project significant to the state or region. Remember to include jobs and economic impact figures.
Flaherty & Hood legislative and communications staff will help your project advance at each and every level.
