Month: April 2025

Q&A | Kyle Klasen

Kyle Klasen is the Vice President of Construction and Survey at WSB. In his role, Kyle oversees our survey staff nationwide, advances a visionary approach to industry practices and improves the efficiency and value of projects. Kyle’s innovative spirit and client-focused approach is admired by partners and staff. In this Q&A, Kyle reflects on his time at WSB and what the future of the surveying industry looks like.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT LEADING WSB’S SURVEY TEAM?

My favorite part of leading the survey team is collaborating with everyone. Our team has a strong work ethic and are extremely dedicated to both WSB and the infrastructure industry. I enjoy being surrounded by motivated individuals who strive for new ideas and have ambition to do more.

HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR TEAM MOTIVATED?

I am excited and passionate about the work we do, and I want that excitement to come across to my team. A lot of our staff are motivated by delivering projects. They start a project when there is nothing there, and by the end of the year, they are able to see all that was accomplished by building and surveying. There is a certain satisfaction in seeing a highway, a road, or whatever it might be, from beginning to end.

WHAT DO YOU WISH PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT SURVEYING AT WSB?

I’d like people to know about the diversity and scope of the work that our team performs. We may be known for our construction abilities, but we do so much more. We have a large presence in the renewable realm on wind and solar projects, we work in the oil and gas industries, and we also do a lot of large-scale boundary work. We are also larger than our Minnesota staff. We have built a solid survey team in Colorado and are working on adding a survey team in Texas in the near future.

WHAT MAKES OUR SURVEY SERVICES UNIQUE?

Our surveying team stand out among our competitors because we are incredibly innovative and forward thinking. We focus on utilizing technology and are extremely advanced in our abilities to manage and operate cutting-edge software. We are leading the industry in our use of 3D models and are leading many firsts in our industry when it comes to the tools we use. Our collaboration and partnerships allow us to be more productive and efficient in the field, ultimately saving contractors and owners money.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT WSB?

I like that everybody is always looking for new ways to solve our clients and contractors’ challenges. Creative and out-of-the-box thinking takes collaboration, and all our departments and functional groups work well together. We communicate and are willing to offer experience and solutions, even if it is outside our core functional group. At the end of the day, we have a team where every person is motivated, brings a positive attitude and collectively works together to deliver quality projects for our clients.

SURVEY IS A TOUGH JOB TO FILL. HOW DO YOU PLAN TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENT?

A recent strategic hire told me the main reason they joined WSB was because of the longevity of our staff. You can’t make that up. That sells what it means to be part of the WSB team. They’ve seen companies with turnover after turnover, and it’s clear that WSB is different. We really care for our staff, while providing numerous opportunities for leadership and career advancement for those wanting to stay and help grow the company.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE OF THE SURVEY INDUSTRY LOOK LIKE?

We are going to see more and more of our processes become automated. We need to think differently and creatively on how we collaborate with contractors. The future of WSB surveying is about nurturing and preserving the client relationships that make our core market in Minnesota, while also fostering growth for our teams in Colorado, Texas, and around the country.

WHAT HAS MADE THE MOST IMPACT ON YOU THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER?

Early on in my WSB days, a client at Mathiowetz Construction, gave me a shot on a project. Our relationship has grown into an incredible partnership, and it opened my mind and eyes to what contractors are doing, what they need, and how they deliver a solid project. Trust and collaboration are key to achieving success. They changed my mind on how I think about construction. I attribute a lot of my career growth to that partnership and being given a chance to make an impact.

DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE MEMORIES YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?

My most memorable moments were early on, as I was growing as a young land surveyor in a private company. I was fortunate to be working at WSB where they foster an environment of learning, problem solving and mentorship. I recall once finding myself in a particularly challenging situation where I couldn’t find a solution. Ron Bray, one of WSB’s founders, took the time to walk me through it and solve the problem. In retrospect, that situation not only taught me how to solve that problem, but also instilled me in me a desire to apply that same philosophy in managing my team. WSB encourages everyone to push boundaries, solve problems and work as a team to reach the end goal.

An Expansion Story: WSB in Texas

Planting our roots in the Lone Star State

In 2017, we began expanding our operations into Texas. Since then, we’ve gained momentum and have been working closely with our clients to provide engineering, planning, environmental and construction services throughout the state to both the public and private sectors. In the four years since we first entered the Lone Star State, we’ve focused on establishing strong client and partner relationships, and learning how to best support their infrastructure needs.

THE FIRST STEPS

We set our sights on the Austin metro area to begin building a solid foundation. Our early-stage plan included three key factors: hiring talented staff, arming ourselves with local knowledge and taking a bold approach to how we position ourselves in a new, fast-growing market.

THE ACQUISITIONS

To help build our staff and gain local knowledge, we made two acquisitions: Austin-based Rogers Design Services and Houston-based Nathelyne A. Kennedy & Associates, Inc. Both acquisitions progressed our strategic growth goals and added to our momentum.

ROGERS DESIGN SERVICES (RDS)
WSB acquired Rogers Design Services in early 2018. In operation since 2007, the firm provided engineering services for infrastructure improvement projects for the state, county and local level in central Texas. Dan Rogers, founder and President of RDS, joined WSB as the Director of Transportation Design – Texas.

NATHELYNE A. KENNEDY & ASSOCIATES, INC. (NAK)
NAK was founded in 1981 by Nathelyne A. Kennedy. Since then, Nathelyne has built an impressive operation in Houston serving government, institutional and commercial clients with a suite of comprehensive civil engineering design services that cover all aspects of infrastructure. NAK maintains operations in Houston as WSB, supporting clients and projects throughout the market.

OUR NEWEST TEAM MEMBERS

Our culture drives our results, and our staff are vital in shaping our success. We’ve made several strategic hires since first entering the Texas market. These new team members have helped share the WSB story and support the infrastructure needs of our clients throughout the state. Recently, we welcomed four new members to our leadership team in Texas.

ROB BAILEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Rob has over three decades of engineering experience. In his role at WSB, he will oversee our transportation growth, support business development efforts and manage strategic transportation pursuits.

BRYAN HODGES, DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION DESIGN – TEXAS
Bryan is known throughout the Texas transportation industry for his planning, design and project management experience. As Director of Transportation, he will lead project management activities for TxDOT projects and support business development efforts in the Tyler, Texas area.

STEVE LINDSEY, DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION DESIGN – TEXAS
Steve’s experience extends through all phases of project development from feasibility studies to maintenance. Steve will lead project management activities with TxDOT and support business development efforts in the Austin, Texas area.

CHRISTIE SAENZ, DIRECTOR OF RIGHT OF WAY
Christie leads WSB’s right of way projects in Texas by providing project management, acquisition and relocation services. She has over 25 years of experience in the right of way industry and has managed the acquisition of over 1,000 parcels throughout her career.

MELVIN HARRIS, DIRECTOR OF CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION
Melvin joins WSB with over 10 years of experience working on high-profile construction projects throughout Texas. In this role, Melvin works with our clients in the heavy civil construction market and supports construction inspection growth throughout Texas.

BUILDING WHAT’S NEXT IN INFRASTRUCTURE

We’ve welcomed the opportunity to support cities, counties, the Texas Department of Transportation, utility companies, contractors and energy clients since we began operations. We value strong relationships, collaboration and forward-thinking ideas and we’re looking forward to discovering thoughtful and creative solutions with our clients in the future.

CR 272 AT CROSSING OF BRUSHY CREEK
CITY OF CEDAR PARK
For years, the low water crossing at Bushy Creek had been closed due to flooding over half of the year. Frequent flooding prevented traffic flow for emergency vehicles, Cedar Park residents and also caused dangerous algae build up resulting in safety issues. To combat the flood prone bridge, WSB designed a low water, bridge class box crossing that channels high water under the bridge rather than over and removes the requirement for standard bridge railings. This innovative plan mitigated the street’s flooding issues, will keep the bridge open nearly all year and has ensured public safety.

SAM RAYBURN TOLLWAY SIGN REPLACEMENT PROJECT
NORTH TEXAS TOLLWAY AUTHORITY
The North Texas Tollway Authority needed to replace all ground mounted and selected overhead signs along main lanes, frontage roads, ramps and interchanges on a 16-mile stretch of the Sam Rayburn Tollway. Most of these signs were installed nearly 10 years ago and several panels had faded over time. WSB was contracted to review existing sign placement, appearance, and foundations. Using WSB 360, our team visually gathered data for each sign, creating significant cost savings and efficiencies.

THE FUTURE OF WSB IN TEXAS

The outlook in Texas is bright. It is one of the fastest growing states in the U.S., and WSB is well positioned to grow with it. We will continue to invest in the Texas region. We’ve been intentional about our hires, acquisitions and brand building – all have which led us to grow smarter. At WSB, we work differently. We are leading the industry in digital delivery methods, using cutting edge tools and hiring the industry’s best and brightest. We are well-positioned to support the infrastructure needs of our clients across our markets throughout Texas. As they say, everything is bigger in Texas and it’s the perfect time to partner with our clients to build what’s next.

“To take a risk and double down on growth, you need to have heart. I think every new hire, acquisition and client in Texas has understood that. We set our sights on supporting Texas’ infrastructure needs and we’re not letting our foot off the gas,” said Jay Kennedy, vice president of Texas operations. “We truly believe in the work we’re doing. Our communities understand this commitment and that’s what will continue to differentiate us in this market.”

Nathelyne A. Kennedy Receives Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award

The national award is given by the Zweig Group each year to someone working in the AEC industry who has made tremendous impacts through courageous leadership

Engineering and consulting firm WSB announced today that Nathelyne A. Kennedy was awarded the Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award by the Zweig Group. The Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award is given annually to one individual working in the architecture, engineering, planning or environmental industry who has made a tremendous impact on their firm through courageous leadership.

Kennedy is the founder, President and CEO of Nathelyne A. Kennedy & Associates, Inc (NAK), a Houston-based civil engineering firm. She was the first Black woman to receive an engineering degree from a college or university in Texas in 1959. WSB acquired NAK in 2019, and today, Nathelyne continues to audit drawings for the firm’s most complex projects.

“Nathelyne treats her staff with a lot of respect,” said WSB President and CEO Bret Weiss. “She invests in people of color to advance them in our industry, an area that is severely lacking and is continuing to work hard and show how important leadership is in our industry, regardless of who you are. I am so proud that she has been recognized by our industry for her extraordinary accomplishments.”

Nathelyne was named Houston’s Engineer of the Year in 2016 and remains the only female to ever receive the award. She has also been previously named Minority Business Woman of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

“The most rewarding part is the people,” said Kennedy. “Knowing that we have been successful, not knowing if we could do it, and then we proved we could. It has given meaning to my life and I am so proud of what we have accomplished.

Nathelyne accepted the prestigious award in Denver, Colorado earlier this month, during the Zweig ElevateAEC Conference Awards Gala. The Zweig Group is the leading research, publishing, and advisory services resource for firms in the architecture, engineering and construction industry.  

Newsletter | Volume 3 | Issue 1 | 2021

Seize Opportunities: Nathelyne Kennedy

In 1959, Kennedy became the first Black woman to receive an engineering degree from a school in Texas. Here, she reflects on her more than 55 years of experience since then.

In 1959, Nathelyne Archie Kennedy became the first Black woman to receive an engineering degree from a school in Texas. She is the president and founder of Nathelyne A. Kennedy & Associates, Inc., a Houston-based civil engineering firm that was acquired by WSB in 2019. Committed to advancing the engineering profession, Kennedy has served on the Texas Turnpike Authority Board of Directors and on advisory committees for Texas Southern University, University of Houston Downtown, and her own alma mater, Prairie View A&M University. In 2006 Prairie View named the Nathelyne Archie Kennedy Building, housing the School of Architecture and Art, in her honor. Here, Nathelyne reflects on her more than 55 years working in the engineering industry.

“I hope to see more women heading up their own firms,” Kennedy says. “Engineering is not a male field, it’s just male dominated. I would like to see more women seize opportunities.”

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A conversation with Nathelyne A. Kennedy.

WSB: How did you end up in engineering?

Nathelyne Kennedy: I decided to major in engineering after one of my teachers brought it to my attention. My original plan was to major in math and become a teacher like my father. I thought, “If this doesn’t work out, I can always be a teacher,” so I decided to major in engineering. I found out when I started school that there were only two women majoring in engineering and only one graduated – me. After that, things moved fast. I didn’t know that I was the first Black female to receive an engineering degree in Texas. In the beginning, I struggled to get hired even though I graduated at the top of my class. The men easily found employment over me. But eventually, I was hired by an engineering firm after they decided to give me a one-week trial in Chicago. I pounded the pavement hard in Chicago and eventually moved on to a mid-size engineering firm – again after a one-week trial period. That one week turned into 12 years.

Eventually, life led us back to Houston. I took some time off to raise my kids and then eventually started my own firm in 1981, Nathelyne Kennedy & Associates, Inc. We continued to grow and build our networks and today, I still work with some of the same people from the ‘80s. For 38 years, we operated as NAK and I’m proud of all that we have accomplished.  In 2019, NAK was acquired by WSB, a Minneapolis-based design and consulting firm. It’s bittersweet to hand over what I’ve built, but I’m looking forward to what’s next and know NAK is in good hands.

WSB: How did your role as president of NAK evolve over time?

NK: Everything has changed. At the beginning, I was doing everything myself. We were growing, things started changing fast and I couldn’t do it all. My job shifted toward marketing, business development, and managing the office. When I found out things I needed to do, I learned. I didn’t know I was going to have to go out and talk to people. I was used to sitting in the office. I had to practice how to build my network. I eventually learned to enjoy it because I learned a lot and had the chance to meet many wonderful people. I was new to people and they were curious about me. Right away, we started winning prime work. Designing roads and streets, then bridges. Word got around about us and we continued to grow.

WSB: What were some challenges of owning your own business?

NK: We were a small firm and getting new, young people to come and work for me was a challenge. They would come and get a little experience and then leave for larger firms. The bigger the better it seemed in their minds. Today, I still have two people that have been with me for 30 years, and three people for more than 20 years – and they were the key people that helped build NAK into what it is today.

WSB: What has been the most rewarding part of your career?

NK: The most rewarding part is the people – my staff and other engineering firms. It’s also realizing that we have been successful and have proved that we can do it. I’m proud of our recognition over the years. I have to say that the most rewarding part is not knowing if I could do it, and then achieving success. It has given meaning to my life and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished. It’s been a very rewarding journey.

WSB: What is the proudest moment of your career?

NK: The proudest moment of my career was when I was selected as Houston’s Engineer of the Year in 2016. In the 70 years they’ve given out the award, I have been the only female to receive it. It was a huge honor. It reinforced that I have accomplished something. Not one woman before me, not one after me. I am still the only one in 70 years.

WSB: Who has been the biggest influence in your life?

NK: My parents. My mother was the mother everyone should want. My father was liked by everyone. My mother stayed at home and raised us, and my father was an agriculture teacher. He taught me a lot about money, saving, and people. They were my best teachers. I don’t know of anyone who was better or meant more to me than the two of them. I think about them every day.

WSB: If you could give someone starting their career one piece of advice, what would it be?

NK: Try to learn as much as you can about your craft and business, but don’t learn too much that it will cause you to change your mind. If I had been told it would be this hard to do this, I would have probably looked at something else, but sometimes it is best to just jump in the fire. If you jump in and work your way out it’s amazing how much you learn. To me, that was the best part of business. There is so much enjoyment in learning and meeting people. Deep down, I believe people are nice and that they want to help you. Everywhere I have lived and everywhere I have worked, I’ve loved meeting people, especially my staff.

WSB: What do you hope to see in the future for the engineering industry?

NK: I hope to see more women heading up their own firms. Engineering is not a male field, it’s just male dominated. I would like to see more women seize opportunities.

WSB: What is the most important life lesson you have learned?

NK: Be nice to others – it comes back to you. Do unto others as you have them do unto you. I grew up with that and I really believe in it.

This article originally appeared in the June 28, 2021 issue of the Zweig Letter.

Zweig Group honors WSB with Marketing Excellence Awards

The Zweig Group, the leading research, publishing and advisory services resource for the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, has honored WSB with three awards in marketing.

Every year, the organization offers an awards program that specifically recognizes outstanding work within the AEC industry throughout North America.

Marketing Excellence Awards

Zweig recently announced the winners of the 2021 Marketing Excellence Awards for outstanding, results-driven marketing. Zweig awards the top five firms in each possible category. WSB ranked first place in one category and third in two others.

Award entries were judged by a team of marketing professionals and evaluated based upon overall creativity, messaging, results achieved by the campaign, and level of design.

Advertising | Road Work Ahead Mailer | First Place

Our Marketing team worked closely with our Municipal team to create a direct mail and email campaign that promoted our construction related services. The piece was shaped like a road construction sign that read “Road Work Ahead” on the cover. Inside we talked about our approach and philosophy around construction and highlighted our relevant service areas to support all aspects of construction projects.

Internal Newsletter | Year In Review | Third Place

The Year In Review received a third-place award in the Internal Newsletter category. Since 2009, WSB has published our annual Year In Review. For over a decade, this publication has recapped the previous year and has been distributed at our firm’s annual celebration. The goal is simple – to tell the story of WSB to our staff and external partners.. The Year In Review is one of the ways we celebrate our accomplishments in the past year and tell our internal WSB story. 

We always include an overview of firm achievements and milestones at the beginning of the publication – because we are one WSB.  Even though our work, projects and staff extend across the nation, together  we’re working towards a common goal. The rest of the publication was broken up into our divisions and culture highlights. Our projects and work are always very important to our story, but it’s the people behind the projects that really help shape the way we work. 

Special Event | 25th Anniversary Special Edition Newsletter | Third Place

In 2020, WSB celebrated our 25^th Anniversary. We had many plans prior to the pandemic to keep the celebration going all year long. Client events, staff events, videos, social campaigns – many of these celebrations involved being together in person. When the pandemic hit, we had to switch gears.

Twice a year, WSB publishes an external newsletter. For over 10 years, WSB has mailed a newsletter highlighting projects, innovations, techniques and news. As we began preparing our content for Volume 2 of 2021, our CEO Bret Weiss, mentioned that he thought it would be a great opportunity to highlight our 25^th Anniversary. Twenty-five years have built many memories – more than we could share on the pages of the newsletter, many that are best told by the people who lived them and a couple that should never be in print. We realized that there are countless people, places and projects that have shaped our story, but there were also many things that contributed to our success over the years. We decided to move forward and tell the story of 25 years through 25 things. The 25 ‘things’ varied – some were personal to individuals, some were from long ago, and some were new things that emerged since our rebrand. Through 25 ‘things’ we shared the story of WSB.

The Complete list of Marketing Excellence Award Winners can be accessed here: https://www.zweiggroup.com/2021-marketing-excellence-award-winners/

Make Your Zoning Ordinance Resident Friendly

By Kim Lindquist, Director of Community Planning & Economic Development, WSB

Cities have spent the last few years working feverishly to get their comprehensive plans completed and approved. Many communities are now breathing a sigh of relief, recognizing the heavy lifting is complete. Unfortunately, for some the work has just begun as cities and townships enter the implementation phase of the updating process.

Most communities are good at keeping up with zoning issues that often arise, such as short-term rentals or solar farms. Zoning text amendments come up due to necessity as land use and issues dealing with structures change over time. Communities are often confronted with something unforeseen when drafting their ordinance and therefore need to amend to stay current.

Unfortunately, ordinance amendments modifying regulations may occur frequently, but there seems to be less time for critically evaluating the ordinance in its entirety. While it is common for regulations to be added to an ordinance, obsolete or confusing items are rarely removed. As residents are increasingly looking to city websites for information, cities should consider if their ordinances have been reviewed for readability and clarity for the “non-planner” public.

WSB’s Community Planning and Economic Development Group has recently been working with communities to review their ordinances. In addition to reviewing them for regulations and legal consistency, we are evaluating their presentation and readability. We are helping these communities to improve the way that the information is presented to ensure that clients, staff and the public can quickly find the answers they are looking for regarding planning and zoning with minimal frustration.

For example, residents may need to look in multiple locations within an ordinance to find the information necessary for completing a simple accessory structure building permit. Setbacks, size, exterior materials, and location standards are often placed within different sections of the zoning code, making it difficult for residents to locate. This building permit “maze” often leads to frustrated residents and calls to the community staff, many of which can be avoided through more concise and clear ordinances.

Additionally, as new staff come on board, the knowledge regarding the original intent of the ordinance may be lost. Improving clarity of the ordinance benefits both residents and practitioners, resulting in more efficient use of community resources.

Building Resiliency into Public Works

By Amy Fredregill, Sr Director of Sustainability, WSB

Reliable resources are necessary for every municipality, and consequently, sustainability in public works programs has grown into a long-term goal for municipalities. Prioritizing sustainability and resiliency in a municipality’s infrastructure ensures that programs are reliable, so that when a user turns on their faucet or light switch, water or electricity is delivered.

Resiliency is an important part of sustainability planning. Resiliency is achieved by having a maximum number of options to be able to pivot and adapt to a disruption in an infrastructure system. For example, a main road in a user’s neighborhood could be under construction, or a resident may not have a vehicle. If the municipality has walkways or bikeways through the neighborhood, the user has the option to walk or bike to their job, store, or pharmacy. The ever-expanding choices can lead to healthier communities, encourage tourism, commerce and more.

Cultivating resiliency is not as complicated as it may sound; creating a walkway or bikeway trail system in a neighborhood is only one example. A municipality can invest in water reuse, renewable energy, energy efficiency, stormwater and flood management systems, too. The programs can be built into a large sustainability plan. Moreover, due to evolving technology, increased adoption rates and system investments, energy choices such as renewable energy and conservation can reduce costs and risks. Communities can take advantage of tax credits for renewables, rebates for conservation, and hedge financial risk through emissions reductions.

The systems we rely on – power and gas grids, water and wastewater systems – are complex and critical to daily life. With the significant progress in energy choices at our disposal, cities can offer more services to residents such as electric vehicle charging, helping them to reduce their monthly bills through energy audits and weatherization, increasing outreach and awareness on clean energy programs, and more.

Winter storms underscore the value of having a range of options at our disposal. By having a diverse menu of power generation options and increasingly energy-efficient operations, communities can be more resilient and adapt to changing circumstances. These are things that cities and communities are thinking about for their own sustainability plans. Prioritizing sustainability and resiliency in municipal systems can help prevent, adapt to and mitigate disruptions in the future.

The top takeaways from the 2021 Minnesota Legislative Session

Bart Fischer, Senior Public Administrator, WSB and Gary Carlson, Intergovernmental Relations Director at the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) unpack the issues communities should pay attention to post-legislative session.

This year, there was an interesting confluence of state and congressional legislation that will impact cities more than any other time in history. The pandemic and recovery efforts will have a tremendous impact of congressional action on our cities and understanding and navigating these impacts can be extremely important in the coming months.

BF: It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that we were talking about the top issues to pay attention to going into this session, Gary. Thanks for taking the time to dive into the takeaways with me post-session.

GC: Anytime Bart. It was an exciting session with a lot of moving parts. I think one of the biggest takeaways was the impact to our state budget and the American Recovery Act. There are still many question marks and unknowns about the federal package, but if you go back a year ago, we were facing a $2.4 billion deficit and we’ve ended up with quite a surplus due to a recovering economy and the federal government. At the beginning of the session, cities and counties were watching closely as the pandemic impacted tax collections and how it would affect local government aid (LGA) distributions and road funding. Relief packages have bolstered our economy and made the economic recession much less impactful. We were expecting to see deep cuts in state aid, but the legislature put over $5 million into LGA to preserve funding for all cities.

In addition to increased funding for communities, we were also looking for some flexibility in the use of TIF to account for the impact of the pandemic. TIF districts that were created between January 1, 2018, and June 30, 2020, now have three more years to complete development activities.

BF: It’s great to hear some positive news after a year of so many challenges. The pandemic has certainly had significant impacts on our communities. Anything outside of the pandemic or relief packages that communities should be paying attention to?

GC: Yes – the Local Option Sales Tax. For many years, we’ve been having conversations about authorizing local sales taxes without the need for legislative approval. In recent years, the legislature has been trying to define what these sales taxes can be used for. This session, they have further defined allowable uses to be capital projects of regional significance that are generally buildings, park improvements or trails that provide benefits to both residents and non-residents. For example, civic centers, libraries, regional parks and trails, etc. This year, almost every county or city that sought approval for a Local Sales Tax option were approved at least in some part, with the notable exception of proposals for roads and water/wastewater projects. I expect that the trend towards sales tax as a local funding source will continue. 

BF: That’s great news.  Anything else related to taxes?

GC: We’ve been seeking streamlined sales tax exemption for local government construction projects for many years. This year, the sales tax refund process was extended to include public safety facilities when a city or county uses a construction contractor to make the initial purchase of materials. We’re really happy to see this happen. This has the potential to reduce costs by nearly 7%. Contractors will basically provide documentation of the sales tax paid on construction materials and the city can file to get a refund of that money. This is a huge benefit especially if you think about the rising cost of building materials.  

BF: Speaking of public safety, I heard that communities are now able to create multi-jurisdictional fire departments. Can you speak to that?

GC: Yes, this is an issue that many communities have been fighting for years. A group of cities or towns can now form a fire protection district and use economy of scale to fund fire protection more thoroughly. This option allows many cities to be more efficient and it’s a good government reform effort as well. I think you’ll start to see a lot of cities and townships start to explore this option as many around the state are struggling to find enough volunteer fire fighters to staff their stations.

BF: Any final thoughts on this session?

GC: I think the biggest challenges cities and counties have in front of them is determining how to use the federal funds from the American Recovery Act.  So far, 21 cities have received their distributions directly and there are 800+ more still waiting. Determining how to spend the funds will be a long-term project for many communities. Right now, cities can use the funds for a number of things; however, in relation to infrastructure, it is limited to water, sewer and broadband projects. There is some talk that Congress will allow the money to be used more broadly for infrastructure related projects. Communities of all sizes have different needs and adding some additional flexibility will really help with other infrastructure needs.

BF: Thank you, Gary.  As always, I appreciate your expertise and valuable information.

Connect with the League of Minnesota Cities Intergovernmental Relations staff.

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Bart Fischer

Gary Carlson

WSB promotes Tony Havranek, lead fisheries ecologist, to Director of Fisheries

Havranek has led the firm’s aquatic invasive species and carp management service since 2014.

Local design and consulting firm WSB today announced the promotion of Tony Havranek to director of fisheries. Havranek will oversee business development efforts for the firm’s fisheries work.

Havranek has been with WSB since 2014 and has grown the firm’s ecological and fisheries services exponentially. “Tony is recognized as a true expert in our industry and no idea is too big or out of reach for him,” said Andi Moffatt, WSB’s vice president of environmental services. “Tony’s dedication to leading the industry in sustainability and new techniques is unmatched and this type of big-picture, innovative and sky’s the limit thinking is what we encourage at WSB.”

Havranek has nearly 20 years of experience in the natural resources field. Prior to his time at WSB, Tony helped develop federal policies with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and worked with tribal communities throughout the Midwest on their natural resources needs. He is recognized throughout the industry for his forestry, water quality, fisheries, aquatic and terrestrial vegetation, wetlands and wildlife expertise.

“At WSB, I’ve found a place where I can innovate with our clients and staff to improve ecological outcomes through sustainable solutions,” said Havranek. “Together, we will continue to support watershed districts, lake associations, cities and the tribal community to improve water quality and manage invasive fish species.”