Scaling Up! Parks and Conservation Finance
The Trust for Public Land has a long history and successful track record of helping state and local governments design, pass, and implement legislation and ballot measures that create new public funds for parks and land conservation. Nationally, we’ve helped pass 603 ballot measures—an 82 percent success—creating over $80 billion in voter approved funding for parks and land conservation. Every $1 invested in this program has generated more than $2,000 in new public funds.
In Minnesota, TPL has been involved in twelve state or local ballot measures, winning eleven. Recent successes included working on the statewide Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment (2008), the City of Minneapolis property tax measure (2016), and the City of Brooklyn Park bond referendum (2018). Most recently, in 2020 TPL worked with the City of Rochester whose residents voted 61.5% in favor to invest $40M in the City’s parks, trails, and natural lands.
Our goal now is to create over $900 million in new and renewed dedicated public funding for state and local parks and conservation in Minnesota over the next five years. To accomplish this goal, we need an upfront investment of at least $1 million, including funds for both technical assistance and advocacy.
Please find additional information below on Minnesota’s historical conservation ballot measures:
| Location | Election Date |
Finance Mechanism |
Pass (Y/N) | Y% | N% | Conservation Funds Approved |
| Washington County | 11-07-2000 | Bond | Fail | 48% | 52% | n/a |
| City of Blaine | 11-07-2000 | Bond | Pass | 54% | 46% | $3,500,000 |
| Dakota County | 11-05-2002 | Bond | Pass | 57% | 43% | $20,000,000 |
| City of Wayzata | 11-04-2003 | Bond | Pass | 52% | 48% | $3,135,000 |
| Washington County | 11-07-2006 | Bond | Pass | 61% | 39% | $20,000,000 |
| City of Plymouth | 11-07-2006 | Bond | Pass | 64% | 36% | $9,000,000 |
| City of Andover | 11-07-2006 | Bond | Pass | 54% | 46% | $2,000,000 |
| State of Minnesota | 11-04-2008 | Sales Tax | Pass | 59% | 41% | $5,537,250,000 |
| City of Minneapolis | 05-16-2016 | Resolution | Pass | NA | NA | $220,000,000 |
| City of Brooklyn Park | 11-06-2018 | Bond | Pass | 63% | 37% | $26,000,000 |
| City of Rochester | 11-03-2020 | Bond | Pass | 61% | 39% | $60,000,000 |
The Trust for Public Land Conservation Finance
The Trust for Public Land helps state and local governments design, pass, and implement legislation and ballot measures that create new public funds for parks and land conservation.
Land Vote
Across the country, dozens of state and local governments each year vote to raise public funds in support of land conservation. The Trust for Public Land’s LandVote® Database is the premier source of information about these measures. The database brings together the most comprehensive history available for conservation finance measures that have been placed on the ballot.
Contact Us
We are very exciting about Scaling Up! Our Parks and Conservation Finance efforts for 2022, 2024, and beyond so all Minnesotans can have access to great parks and public lands now and in the future. We hope you will join us!
Susan Schmidt
State Director, Minnesota,
Michigan and Wisconsin
susan.schmidt@tpl.org
