Commentary: Legislature will keep close tabs on Legacy Amendment funds

By Sen. Ellen Anderson
Last update: May 20, 2010 - 6:51 PM
Printed in the Star Tribune

Minnesotans treasure their environment, and voters were wise in 2008 when they approved the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. The Legacy funds are public dollars and cannot be used to balance other parts of the state budget.
We need the highest standards of accountability to make sure Minnesotans get what they voted for: cleaner water, protection of natural lands and habitat, beautiful parks, and support of their cultural and historical legacy.

We've established a website -- www.cdf.leg.mn -- where the public can see how every dollar is spent and evaluate whether we are achieving those outcomes. We enacted a requirement in 2009 that the Office of the Legislative Auditor, headed by Jim Nobles, perform audits of all the funds.

The OLA is a nonpartisan office that protects the public's money by evaluating the outcomes of public programs. Its staff is far more than "accountants" and have an impressive record of overseeing state funds and exposing mismanagement.

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