Government lobbying government: Locals spent $12 million lobbying the MN Legislature last year

The Office of the State Auditor on Thursday retracted its 2023 Local Government Lobbying Services Report after discovering incorrect data. A previous version of this article included errors supplied by the state auditor, but the story has been corrected throughout.

Local governments spent about $12 million lobbying the Minnesota Legislature in 2023  — a 14% increase from the previous year, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the Office of the State Auditor Julie Blaha. That’s the largest increase since 2005, according to the auditor.

The report says the increase in 2023 lobbying dollars is attributable in part to an increase of 27 more legislative days compared to 2022. But the 2023 legislative session was also the first year of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party’s trifecta, and cities and counties — along with interest groups and businesses — were anxious to protect their priorities amid the most consequential session in decades.

The Legislature last year passed significant laws affecting local governments, including an annual increase in funding for local governments, a $2.6 billion infrastructure package and an additional $1 billion for housing across Minnesota, among other bills.

“The operation and funding of local governments can be greatly affected by decisions made by the state Legislature. Therefore, it is understandable that those affected by these decisions would want to have representation during the legislative process,” the report states.

Last year, 146 local governments reported that they hired or contracted with lobbyists, according to the report. Twenty of the 146 local governments accounted for 56% of the total amount paid to lobbyists.

Among the biggest spenders: Hennepin County ($488,815); Minneapolis ($478,995); St. Paul ($311,740); and Ramsey County ($270,760).

In addition to the money paid to staff and contract lobbyists, local governments paid over $14 million in dues to local government associations to represent their interests.

The associations with the highest lobbying expenditures last year include the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities ($1,027,189); the League of Minnesota Cities ($854,063); and the Minnesota School Boards Association ($378,768).

Lobbying firms made hundreds of thousands representing local governments. Among the firms that received the most money: Flaherty and Hood ($967,210) and Larkin Hoffman Daly and Lindgren ($658,865).

According to the report, last year 17 additional local governments reported hiring or contracting with lobbyists compared to the previous year.