Bill > SF1679

This bill modifies Minnesota statutes to expand school districts' abilities to operate and maintain ice arenas. Specifically, the bill allows two or more school districts to enter into cooperative agreements to jointly operate an ice arena, with the ability to share costs and annual levy amounts as specified in their agreement. The cooperating districts will be required to report the cost and levy apportionment to the Department of Education in a format determined by the commissioner. The existing law's requirement remains that school districts operating an ice arena must demonstrate equal sports opportunities for male and female students, including access to practice times, team support, and providing opportunities for junior varsity and younger teams in ice sports. The provisions of this bill will become effective for taxes payable in 2026 and later, giving school districts time to prepare and establish cooperative agreements. The bill aims to provide more flexibility for school districts in managing the expenses and operation of ice arenas, potentially making such facilities more financially feasible for smaller or neighboring districts.

Budget and Finance

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF1679&ssn=0&y=2025