St. Paul to require its legislative request list by early days of session

With the blessing of the mayor and the St. Paul City Council, as well as deep guidance from city lobbyists and department heads, the city of St. Paul delivers an elaborate laundry list of wants and needs each year to state lawmakers, spelling out the capital city’s legislative priorities in order of importance.

The Grand Casino Arena needs state bond funding for a remodel. The Como Zoo needs a new enclosure for its big cats. The mayor is pushing to ban semi-automatic guns and binary triggers from the city. The wish-list goes on, usually spanning some 20 pages or more of desired projects and changes to state law, from the elaborate to the mundane.

In an unusual bit of policy housekeeping, the city council on Wednesday is poised to require that City Hall be ready for next year’s legislativ