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Local support slim for simulcast betting bill |
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Wednesday, 19 March 2008 |
Cliff Buchan
News Editor
A bill in the legislature that would allow simulcast betting at Running Aces Harness Track in Columbus seems headed for approval, but its support from the two state lawmakers that represent the area is limited.
The bill, which has passed the Senate and will soon be heard in the House, would grant the new track here authority to offer simulcast wagering on thoroughbred horse racing from around the country. It would also allow Canterbury Park authority to offer simulcast betting on harness track betting.
The two lawmakers, in a visit to the Forest Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and a legislative breakfast last Friday, spoke on the prospects of the bill passing.
District 52 Sen. Ray Vandeveer, R-Forest Lake, voted against the bill, saying he would have preferred language to dictate the track provide funds to charitable groups, such as food shelves.
District 52A Rep. Bob Dettmer, R-Forest Lake, said he wants an amendment in the House bill to require some of the same. Dettmer stopped short of saying he would vote against the bill.
It all comes down to both me being opposed to the expansion of gambling, said Columbus Mayor Mel Mettler who was contacted later. “I understand their positions,” Mettler said.
Mettler said he did not believe the two were fully taking into account the positive impact the track will bring to the area in terms of property taxes, jobs, wages and benefits to other businesses in form of goods and services purchased. Under the agreement with the city, the track has pledged to produce a minimum of $227,000 year in property taxes and another $88,000 to the city for host community benefits.
Mettler said he recognizes the belief that the proposal is considered an expansion of gambling, but he said it is more an effort to amend a law from 1982 that needed to be changed. While the House and Senate authors are considered opponents of expanding gambling, they saw the need to move the legislation, the mayor said.
“Personally, I would have liked to have seen them (Dettmer and Vandeveer) support it,” Mettler said.
Transportation
The two-hour gathering last Friday was also attended by District 17 Sen. Rick Olseen, DFL-Harris. District 17B Rep. Jeremy Kalin, DFL-North Branch, did not attend.
On the recent transportation funding that became law with a legislative override of the governor’s, the two Republicans felt the decision was wrong while Olseen felt the move was the right one.
Dettmer said he was disappointed that no Republican amendments were allowed in the House bill and now was not the time to be raising taxes. Dettmer said he was not elected to raise taxes.
“That’s the way I’ve been voting,” Dettmer said.
Dettmer said it was belief to spend money on roads and bridges, not trains.
Vandeveer was also opposed, saying the gas-tax hike coupled with increases in license fees and the ability for county’s to tack on a .25 cent sales tax to fund transit programs was too much at a time when the state is facing a $1 billion shortfall.
“We keep spending,” Vandeveer said.
Olseen said the gas-tax hike, the first in 20 years, was long overdue and a way for the state to begin moving critical transportation programs without placing the major emphasis on borrowing.
“We’ve not taken care of business as we should have,” Olseen said. With maintenance dollars needed to cover bond debt service, the state was getting less for its investment, Olseen said.
Other issues
In other issues before the panel, education and the Green Acres law were topics.
Vandeveer and Dettmer, who have been working with Forest Lake Christmas tree grower Russell Mansmith, said they are confident the state will change its rules as they relate the classification of tree farming as inclusive. Some county assessors have ruled it is not an intensive farming effort.
“We think we have Christmas trees taken care of,” Vandeveer said. He led the behind-the-scenes effort to secure the change. State assessors will now reconsider the definitions as they apply to Green Acre status.
The message must yet be conveyed to the county level, the senator said.
“The assessor is still rampaging through the district,” Vandeveer said. “We’ll work on that.”
On education, the two said it both remains a priority.
In a recent legislative survey of residents of the district, Dettmer said education ranked higher than transportation.
Vandeveer said the current level of basic education support to schools amounted to about 4 percent over two years to ISD 831, a figure he wished could have been higher. “We didn’t do too good this time,” he said.
There is good news for service organizations and clubs with liquor licenses, Dettmer confirmed.
The legislature has approved a bill that will reduce property taxes by 38 percent a year with the amount tied to a comparable rate of charitable donations to community organizations and causes.
In Forest Lake, the rules apply to VFW Post 4210 and American Legion Post 225. Both have on-sale liquor licenses. They launched their complaint five years ago when soaring property valuations and property taxes made business life more difficult.
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