St. Cloud Convention Center Included in Dayton’s Bonding Plan

ST. PAUL (AP) - A $109 million commitment to Capitol preservation is the biggest element of Gov. Mark Dayton plan for Minnesota-financed construction projects.

His wish list outlined Monday also includes substantial funding for new labs at public universities, a new building on the Minneapolis Veterans Home campus and civic center improvements in Mankato, Rochester and St. Cloud.

Local officials are asking for about $12 million in state bonding money to build a parking ramp in the parking lot area behind the Mexican Village.

In all, Dayton would finance $812 million worth of projects, relying on more than $720 million in state borrowing and the rest from other sources.

The bonding bill is a rare example this year of where GOP buy-in is necessary. It takes a three-fifths vote to pass one; Democrats are short of that margin on their own.

Dayton says low interest rates make it a prime time to borrow.

House Democrats will release their proposal Tuesday.