REPORTS & FINDINGS

Finding Minnesota’s Way Forward – Minnesota’s Bottom Line

As the State of Minnesota and its citizens face the impact of a profound budget shortfall, the time is right to look for ideas that challenge us all to consider radically new ways of thinking and doing.

A collaboration of five foundations¹ contracted with an experienced expert on solving public problems, Public Strategies Group (PSG), to do just that—suggest ways forward that can lead us through this period of challenge and, perhaps, change things for the better in the long term.

PSG’s suggestions are collected in Minnesota’s Bottom Line. The ideas focus on how to provide government services but spend less during a time of a severe budget shortfall. It includes ways to:

		Improve the health of citizens while spending $3.7 billion less.
		Meet the needs of vulnerable children and families that cost $455 million less.
		Improve housing outcomes while spending $2.1 billion less.
		Deliver better county services while reducing state aids by $1.1 billion.
		Preserve or improve the health of the elderly and low-income population with $497 million fewer dollars.
		Preserve public safety and reduce recidivism at $54 million lower cost and avoid building a prison.
		Improve educational outcomes for those with disabilities while trimming $645 million in state and local spending.

Minnesota’s Bottom Line is a jumping-off point. The best possible outcome of this report is for you to feel engaged in the process of discussing and developing solutions to our shared financial challenge. We hope you will talk about these and other potential solutions around your dinner table, with your neighbors or with your community leaders. The report exists to prompt your thinking and empower you to be a part of this important statewide conversation.

You can find a PDF of the Minnesota’s Bottom Line here.

 

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