State Rep. Patty Acomb visited the Wayzata City Council to provide a legislative update and receive thanks from city officials for her work on special tax increment financing legislation tied to Wayzata’s lakefront improvements.
Acomb, a DFL representative for House District 45B, serves as co-chair of the Energy Finance and Policy Committee and also serves on Ways and Means and Elections Finance and Government Operations, according to her Minnesota House profile.
City Manager Aurora Yager opened the discussion by thanking Acomb for supporting several bills affecting Wayzata, including special legislation related to tax increment financing, “She was a key part in helping us get the special legislation for TIF for Panoway,” adding that Acomb “fought so hard for us.”
Acomb said she appreciated the city’s partnership and the presence of local officials at the Capitol during the session.
In her remarks, Acomb described a closely divided Legislature where major proposals required support from both parties.
“In our very closely divided legislature, things that progressed and ultimately passed really needed to have bipartisan support, both last year and this year and I’m proud of the work we did accomplish.” Acomb said.
Among the session highlights, Acomb pointed to state action to stabilize HCMC, the creation of an Office of the Inspector General aimed at addressing fraud, and passage of a bonding bill that included local projects around the state.
While Wayzata did not receive a bonding provision it had sought, Acomb said the city was successful in securing an exception in tax increment financing legislation. She said the change allows Wayzata to include several elements of the Panoway-related lakefront project, including the Eco-Park, the Section Foreman House, and the remodeling of the Wayzata Depot park.
“We’re happy that we were able to do that to be able to partner with Wayzata on that really important project,” Acomb said.
Acomb also emphasized her opposition to state legislation that would have limited local authority over zoning and land use.
“One of the things that I have worked on hard this year is to ensure that local units of government, local cities maintain local control over land use and zoning,” Acomb said.
She said her background as a former Minnetonka City Council member shaped her view that city officials are best positioned to make local land-use decisions.
A council member asked how close the zoning bill came to passing and whether it could return in future sessions. Acomb said the proposal had bipartisan support in both the House and Senate and reflected a broader national push.
“It’s not going away,” Acomb said. “They’re gonna keep trying.”
Acomb said one concern with the proposal was that, despite being framed as a housing affordability measure, it did not guarantee affordability. She also raised concerns about infrastructure capacity in built-out metropolitan communities, including water and wastewater systems that may not be designed for significant density increases.
Acomb closed by encouraging continued communication between city officials and state lawmakers.
“My door is always open,” she said.
