Dear Meet Your Match Volunteers,
Thank you for your continued efforts on the St. Cloud Civic Center expansion. In an unexpected, yet very positive move on Thursday morning, the Senate Finance Committee moved forward a new bonding bill for consideration. The new bill reduces the Senate’s bonding amount from $980 million to $925 million. The Governor’s position remains at $825m and while the two bills are still not together, they are moving closer.
Despite the financial reduction, the St. Cloud Civic Center expansion is now included in the Senate bill at $2 million. This is a very positive development for our efforts. As you recall, the original Senate bill did not include the Civic Center; however we are now in both the House and Senate Bills for equal dollar amounts. Private conversations continue among House and Senate leadership but for the most part public discussions on the bonding bills have been quiet today. We expect further action to take place next week.
All of this, of course, is very positive. However, we are still far from a final victory. We intend to continue to keep you up-to-date on the latest news coming out of the Capitol. If you have a moment, please continue to contact our legislative leaders so that expansion of the St. Cloud Civic Center remains top of mind!
