How Minnesota Gov. Dayton wants to spend $1.5 billion

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has released the details of his proposed bonding bill, rebranded as the Jobs Bill, which outlines major construction projects and civic investments. This is a significant proposal because the legislature failed to pass this a bonding bill in the closing hours of the last legislative session.

Among the big items the Twin Cities metro lost out on last session: $15 million for Highway 12 safety improvements, $12 million for a bridge over oil train railroad tracks in Coon Rapids and $57 million for phase two of the upgrades at the Minnesota Security Hospital.

Here's a look at what's included in the governor's 2017 proposal:

HENNEPIN COUNTY: $34 million for a new Fort Snelling visitor center and $25 million for new medical examiner's office.

RAMSEY COUNTY: $33 million for a new emergency operations center and $18.5 million for security upgrades to the State Capitol complex.

DAKOTA COUNTY: $20 million for Minnesota Zoo improvements and $14 million  for MnDOT’s Mendota Heights truck station.

ANOKA COUNTY: $12 million for a bridge over the oil train tracks in Coon Rapids and $5 million to expand the National Sports Center.

NICOLLET COUNTY: $70 million for upgrades to the Minnesota Security Hospital.

The total cost of the governor’s bonding bill is $1.5 billion – a tall order for the incoming Senate Capital Investment chair.

"The cost of not doing these projects is greater than the cost of doing them, and we are behind, seriously behind, in doing our capital investments,” Capital Investment Senate Committee chair Sen. David Senjem said Wednesday.

The new House committee chair was cautious as well.

“Bonding is something that's important to the state of Minnesota, and we didn't do it the last biennium,” Urdahl said. “That said, I’m thinking there's probably not a real big appetite in the house republican caucus for $1.5 billion bonding bill."