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Pawlenty, Doyle: Sharing the ride, splitting the bill
The governors of Minnesota and Wisconsin spent time on Friday demonstrating how cooperation could help each state pay its bills.
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Desperate to stanch the bleeding in their state budgets, the governors of Minnesota and Wisconsin took one of the first visible steps Friday toward working together to save money.
Govs. Tim Pawlenty and Jim Doyle toured the St. Croix River by boat and talked about the states' cooperative agreement on strategies to clean up and maintain the river.
Specifically, they said the states will coordinate efforts to reduce runoff of nutrient-rich soil from construction sites and farms, which can cause pollution in the river to bloom.
The starting point for the cleanup work was a study completed this year that identified the primary remaining sources of pollution in the river.
The joint appearance by Pawlenty and Doyle in Hudson, Wis., was the outgrowth of a plan hatched this year by the governors to search for ways to collaborate on state government services that would streamline operations and cut costs.
Longtime friendly, if persistent, rivals, the states are considering everything from backing up each other's databases, investing together in communications systems for law enforcement and even buying milk from a prison dairy farm in Wisconsin.
On his weekly radio show Friday, Pawlenty joked about the breadth of the two states' cooperation, saying it could extend to "putting to use semi-retired quarterbacks" -- a none-too-subtle reference to the continuing minuet between Brett Favre and the Vikings.
In April, Pawlenty and Doyle released a report that found that each state could save about $10 million in one-time costs through the cooperative efforts.
Both states are facing budget deficits that have soared into the billions of dollars.
Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said Friday that the St. Croix cooperative agreement would save the states an estimated $1 million over the next eight years.
About 80 cooperative projects are currently in the works, he said.
Bob von Sternberg • 612-673-7184
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Governor: Tim Pawlenty
One of only a few prominent Republicans to win a competitive re-election contest in the Democratic sweep of 2006, Tim Pawlenty is widely seen as politically shrewd and naturally likable.
- Lt. Governor: Carol Molnau
- Secretary of State: Mark Ritchie
- Attorney General: Lori Swanson
- State Auditor: Rebecca Otto
Minnesota's political giants: Learn more about the men and women who have shaped Minnesota's political history.
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