The Duluth City Council recently approved spending $75,000 on a PR campaign to show people that the city is open for business post flood. I think it’s a dubious expense, though there are still people asking us how we are holding up and how we are getting around the city. But in reading a rather disjointed and breathless story in the Star Tribune today, I get the feeling that getting FEMA money will keep our city leaders from talking about rebuilding for a while:

From the Strib:

Said Duluth Fire Chief John Strongitharm, “When they see the scope of the storm, it would be difficult to think they would not be providing individual assistance. It’s had a major impact not only on the public infrastructure, but on people’s lives and homes.”

In Duluth, 10 inches of rain created the worst flash flooding in more than a century and hundreds of people were forced from homes by rising water. Roads buckled and washed out, sewers overflowed. Damage to public infrastructure has been estimated at $55 million.

“Any place there was a creek or culvert was destroyed,” Strongitharm said.

Speaking of the city’s infrastructure (Sunday DNT), does anyone know exactly what this is? By lower Chester.

News Release
Cravaack introduces bill to eliminate federal sign brightness mandate

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Congressman Chip Cravaack (MN-8) introduced H.R. 2442, the Rural County Mandate Relief Act. The bill would eliminate the federal mandate that states and local municipalities must keep their road and street signs bright enough to meet federal government brightness standards, allowing them to decide when signs are replaced.

“State and local governments are still struggling under the weight of lower revenues brought on by the recent recession,” said Cravaack. “Any mandate from Washington forcing municipalities to unnecessarily replace perfectly adequate street signs hurts their ability to affectively spend scarce taxpayer dollars elsewhere. State and local governments are perfectly capable of deciding when their signs need to be replaced and how best to pay for any new signs.”

The bill has the support of numerous mayors and council members across the 8th District. One such legislator, Steve Biondich, an Aurora City Councilman said H.R. 2442 “is exactly what we need … getting rid of silly unfunded mandates.” Based on a conservative estimate, state and local municipalities will be forced to spend at least $37.5 million over the next ten years to meet the current federal mandate on sign brightness.

Congressman Cravaack serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee – where he is vice chair of the Aviation Subcommittee – the Homeland Security Committee, and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. The 8th Congressional District covers 18 counties in Northeast Minnesota.