Star Tribune
Minnesota’s governor, other top state officers could see two pay raises
Minnesota’s top government executives could see pay hikes under bills moving at the State Capitol.
A bipartisan Compensation Council recently recommended that the state’s constitutional officers — the governor, attorney general, auditor, secretary of state and lieutenant governor — should all receive a 9% increase this year and a 7.5% hike in 2024.
It would be the first time the leaders have received raises since 2016. Minnesota’s salaries for all of those positions currently lag behind the national average, with the governor’s pay ranking 37th in the nation, according to data from the Council of State Governments.
However, DFL Gov. Tim Walz has said he does not plan to accept the higher sum, which would apply to future governors. The council suggested boosting the governor’s salary, currently around $127,600, to nearly $150,00 by July 1, 2024.
“The Governor values public service and believes state officials should be paid fairly. Because the Governor appoints members of the council and would sign the bill, he would not take this salary increase,” spokeswoman Claire Lancaster said in a statement.
The House and Senate have signed off on sweeping state government budget bills that contain different approaches to the potential pay boosts. The two chambers must align those bills in a conference committee and send the final measure to the governor’s desk for his signature.
The five state leaders would see their salaries increased by the recommended amounts under the Senate version of the bill.
The House measure leaves the pay decision up to each of the constitutional officers, said bill sponsor Rep. Ginny Klevorn, DFL-Plymouth. The legislation devotes millions of dollars to the offices of the governor, state auditor, attorney general and secretary of state. Klevorn said officials would be able to determine whether to use a portion of those dollars to accept a raise.
But the bill would change that process in the future. Klevorn wants to alter the role of the Compensation Council so that it would not just recommend salaries, it would “prescribe” them.
“It takes [the decision] away from the electeds and puts it more in the hands of the compensation commission,” Klevorn said, adding that the goal of the pay increases is “to make sure we can recruit and retain high-quality talent and have the type of government the people of Minnesota deserve.”
The Minnesota Supreme Court chief justice and the governor appoint the 16-person Compensation Council, which offers salary recommendations in odd-numbered years. The group also recommends pay for Supreme Court justices, other judges, state agency leaders and the heads of some metropolitan agencies.
Last month they recommended raising the attorney general’s pay from slightly more than $121,000 currently to $142,000 in July 2024. The auditor and secretary of state would both receive about $127,000 by next year, while the lieutenant governor would get roughly $97,000.
“You’ve got to be able to say, ‘Here’s how much we want to spend, and here’s what we want the impact to be,’” Carter said.
During the council meeting, Johnson, the Ward 7 council member, alluded to those statements, saying people have used such language to try to discredit women in leadership, especially young women. This is the first budget from St. Paul’s new all-women council.
Staff writer James Walsh contributed to this report.
After months of maintenance problems and safety concerns in downtown St. Paul’s Lowry Apartments, city officials condemned the building, forcing dozens of tenants to abruptly relocate to hotels this week.
On Monday afternoon, city staff responded to a plumbing leak in the 11-story building at 345 Wabasha St. N. Officials reported significant damage and signs of vandalism, including copper wire theft that left electrical systems exposed. The leak also raised concerns about mold.
To make repairs, the building’s water must be shut off — a move that would leave tenants without boiler heat and fire sprinklers, Deputy Mayor Jaime Tincher said in a Tuesday email to state Rep. Maria Isa Pérez-Vega and City Council Member Rebecca Noecker, who represent the area.
After determining heat and water could not be restored quickly, Tincher wrote: “There was no other option than to conclude the building was not safe for residents to stay.”
Property manager Halverson and Blaiser Group (HBG) agreed to provide alternative housing for tenants for up to 30 days, Tincher said. City staff worked with Ramsey County’s Housing Stability team and Metro Transit to help 71 residents pack and move.
Before then, the building belonged to downtown St. Paul’s largest property owner, Madison Equities. After the January death of the company’s founder and longtime principal, Jim Crockarell, the dire state of the group’s real estate portfolio became apparent.
The Lowry Apartments, the sole property with a high concentration of low-income housing, quickly became the most troubled. Residents reported frequent break-ins, pest infestations, inoperable elevators and more, to no avail.
Star Tribune
Metro Transit allocated $12 million to boost security, cleanliness on Twin Cities light rail and buses
They will be soon. With more money to spend, Metro Transit plans to bring on 40 more this year. With their ranks growing, TRIP agents, clad in blue, have recently started covering the Metro C and D rapid transit lines between Brooklyn Center and downtown Minneapolis.
The big investment in public safety initiatives comes as Metro Transit is seeing an uptick in ridership that plunged dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic and has been slow to recover. This year ridership has been a bright spot, the agency said.
Through October, the agency has provided 40.1 million rides, up 7% compared with the first 10 months of 2023. In September, the agency saw its highest monthly ridership in four years, averaging nearly 157,000 rides on weekdays, agency data shows.
At the same time, crime is down 8.4% during the first three quarters of 2024 compared to the same time period last year, according to Metro Transit Interim Police Chief Joe Dotseth. However, problems still persist.
On Nov. 29, Sharif Darryl Walker-El, Jr., 33, was fatally shot on a Green Line train in St. Paul. Just a week earlier, a woman was shot in the leg while on the train and taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Earlier this year, a robbery attempt on the Green Line in St. Paul left a passenger shot and wounded.
“Our officers are spending time on the system and sending a clear message to everyone: Crime will not be tolerated on transit,” Dotseth said. “And we will work to ensure those commit those crimes are held accountable.”
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