St. Louis County Board Expected to Oppose North-South Split

VIRGINIA (AP) — The St. Louis County Board is expected to come out against potential legislation for a referendum on whether to split the northeastern Minnesota county into its northern and southern halves.

Commissioner Keith Nelson says the idea goes against the board's priorities as one county. His resolution is on the agenda for Tuesday's county board meeting.

Nelson says state lawmakers are discussing legislation for a referendum on splitting the county, though Commissioner Tom Rukavina and state Rep. Jason Metsa say there's no current bill for that.

Splitting Minnesota's largest county isn't a new idea. A Rukavina-backed referendum bill passed the House in 1996 but got no further.

Rukavina says St. Louis County revenue from the Iron Range's mining industry gets spent disproportionately on the Duluth area.