On June 17, a tornado ripped through sections of Wadena, Ottertail and Polk counties in northwestern Minnesota and caused significant damage in the city of Wadena. Over twenty homes were declared total losses and both the Wadena-Deer Creek high school and the city’s community center were damaged beyond repair. In an interview with Star Tribune columnist Lori Sturdevant, Wadena Mayor Wayne Wolden credits the LGA program with ensuring that emergency services in both his community and neighboring communities were at-the-ready to respond to residents in need:
“Wadena is a poor community,” the mayor explained. Its 2008 median household income was $35,569, less than two-thirds the statewide median. “But for LGA, we couldn’t afford all the services you see here.”
He elaborated: It made a huge difference that dark Thursday afternoon that Wadena had adequate storm sirens. That it had trained professional police, fire and county sheriff personnel on the scene. That it had an emergency action plan drilled into first responders’ minds. That its neighboring communities had similar state-funded assets and could swing into action.
The LGA program was founded on the principle that, regardless of one’s geography in the state, all Minnesotans are entitled to safety and quality-of-life services. Disaster always strikes unexpectedly, yet Minnesotans expect well-trained, well-equipped emergency responders to come to their aid at a moment’s notice. Providing these services takes considerable financial resources, and for communities low in property wealth, such as Wadena, doing so at an affordable price to property taxpayers would be impossible without LGA.
As state lawmakers stare down a formidable budget deficit next year, Minnesota’s communities face an uphill battle to protect LGA. Please take a moment to contact your legisaltors and tell them that LGA is critical to the safety and quality-of-life in your community. If candidates for governor visit your town while campaigning, take the opportunity to ask them about their position on LGA and how they will bridge the budget gap while keeping communities strong.