In This Issue:
- Metro Cities Annual Meeting: Mark Your Calendar
- Governor Gives State of the State Address
- Legislature in Recess Until April 6th
Metro Cities Annual Meeting: Mark Your Calendar
Metro Cities Annual Meeting is held each April to conduct elections to the Board of Directors. This year’s meeting will be held virtually on Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 4:00 pm. The meeting will begin with guest speaker Rick King, Chair of the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), followed by elections of Metro Cities Board officers and members and remarks by President Myron Bailey and Vice President Melanie Mesko Lee. Please mark your calendars! The slate of recommended officers and Board members was emailed to city officials. A quorum of members is required for the meeting. Call-in instructions will be provided in advance of the meeting. Please RSVP to Metro Cities’ Office Manager Jennifer Dorn at [email protected]. We hope you can attend!
Governor Gives State of the State Address
Governor Walz delivered his third State of the State address on Sunday, March 28th. Speaking from his former social studies classroom at Mankato West High School, the Governor emphasized Minnesota’s high vaccination rates, expansion of unemployment benefits, increased production of respirators and ventilators and also warned Minnesotans to stay vigilant and cautious as cases start to rise again.
Starting this week, everyone 16 and older is eligible for the vaccine. At this point, 1.5 million Minnesotans are vaccinated, including 80% of the elderly and over 60% of educators. Governor Walz urged Minnesotans to get vaccinated.
The Governor discussed his proposed two-year budget and supports for those most impacted by the pandemic, including tax breaks for low-income families, funding businesses, and addressing inequality in education. He called for action to end the state’s racial disparities.
Legislature in Recess Until April 6th
The Legislature is taking its Easter/Passover recess this week and will resume the work of the 2021 session on Tuesday, April 6th at which point the processing of omnibus bills will continue.
Stay tuned for legislative information, updates and alerts on bills and issues of significance and interest to metropolitan cities.