State lawmakers and other key officials will be in Ely Monday for a meeting to address community needs.
The Community Economic Development Joint Powers Board will hold its annual legislative meeting on Monday, Jan. 5, at the Grand Ely Lodge.
Lunch for elected officials and invited guests will be served at 11:30 a.m., with the meeting to convene at roughly noon.
An annual staple on Ely’s calendar, the event known as “the legislative meeting” offers both a sneak peek at what to expect in the ensuing legislative session as well as the priorities and key projects for local governments and entities.
The meeting is typically held in December, but scheduling conflicts as well as the February start to the 2026 session prompted the move to January.
At the head of the table are Ely’s two representatives in St. Paul - State Sen. Grant Hauschild (D-Hermantown) and State Rep. Roger Skraba (R-Ely).
Others expected to attend include aides to U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (R), U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D), as well as county commissioners Paul McDonald (St. Louis) and Joe Baltich (Lake).
Ida Rukavina, commissioner of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board, as well as Range Association of Municipalities and Schools Executive Director Paul Peltier are both also on the guest list.
Set in advance of upcoming legislative sessions, the meeting gives Ely area officials an opportunity to address concerns and pitch particular projects and issues, both of interest to individual entities and the group as a whole.
At a meeting in November, local representatives identified a grab bag of local issues to address, including the city of Ely’s request for state funding to complete a water line project.
Members of the local Joint Powers group include representatives from Ely, Morse, and Fall Lake townships, Winton, and the Ely School District.
About two decades old, the event is an offshoot of meetings convened previously by the Ely Area Community Economic Development Joint Powers Board and the Ely Area Development Association.
While the joint powers group no longer contracts for economic development services, it meets intermittently to address local issues and the legislative meeting remains a focus point for the organization.
The meeting is open to the public although lunch is limited to invited guests and meeting participants.
