Kleis Looks to Grow Business in Third Mayoral Term

ST. CLOUD -- When St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis takes the Oath of Office in January, he'll be hitting the ground running. Kleis was re-elected to a third term earlier this month.

He says his number one priority will be economic development. The city wants to help existing businesses grow while also attracting new companies to town. But, Kleis is still looking for ways to save the city money through regional cooperation.

Kleis also co-chairs a property tax reform task force with Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. That group is charged with coming up with a recommendation Governor Mark Dayton can bring to the Legislature this winter.

Kleis says in 2008, St. Cloud sent $55-million dollars to St. Paul and only received $10-million back in Local Government Aid. He wants to keep more of that money here for services like police and public works.