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Community Solutions Podcast


Aug 17, 2019

www.commsolutionsmn.com- We have mentioned Watershed Districts in the past, but have never really laid them out for you to understand exactly what they are and what they do. The Minnesota Association of Watershed Districts (MAWD) say that there are 42 Watershed Districts across the state of MN. They define a watershed district as such, "Watershed districts are local, special-purpose units of government that work to solve and prevent water-related problems. The boundaries of each district follow those of a natural watershed and consist of land in which all water flows to one outlet." They manage water quality, ground water levels, draining systems, regulate and control the use of water, provide recreational opportunities, flood protection, and more. MAWD has a whole legislative agenda that they lobby for in St. Paul, and it's your tax money on the line. They each have a board of appointed people that has an administrative staff, and engages in projects that take your tax money. You can find out if you are near one and how to research their website on the MAWD website. It is yet another place for you to get involved and watch what your government is doing.

In the Local Lowdown, we discuss why more starter homes aren't being built around the Twin Cities. There is an apparent shortage of these type of homes. The average home in the Twin Cities costs $294,000. That's a lot of money! There is really only one reason for that... you guessed it, and the government is to blame! Regulation, permit costs, inspections all drive up the cost of homes but that's not the whole picture. Cities are tearing down a lot of starter homes to build larger homes, luxury apartment buildings and town homes. City policies have reduced the stock of starter homes available. 

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!