Name an issue of local interest and it probably came up Monday at the Grand Ely Lodge.
For roughly two hours, the area’s two state legislators shared their views and heard the requests of area leaders during the annual legislative meeting convened by the Community Economic Development Joint Powers Board.
State Sen. Grant Hauschild (D-Hermantown) and State Rep. Roger Skraba (R-Ely) addressed everything from wolf management to funding for local governments, schools and projects, in addition to touting their bipartisanship and addressing Gov. Tim Walz’s decision to drop out of the 2026 election (see related stories).
Following up on discussion related to federal legislation to delist the grey wolf, raised by Jacob Ringstad from the office of U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (R), Skraba pounced with pointed remarks in favor of those efforts.
“I saw more wolves again this year than deer,” said Skraba, an avid outdoorsman who also works as a fishing guide. “I don’t want to kill them but I want a balance. I can tell you right now the woods are out of balance.”
Skraba and Morse supervisor Bob Berrini both contend wolves are more visible than ever, and Berrini pointed to the viral photo that showed a wolf on Ely’s school grounds last fall, as well as the many deer seen in town.
“Deer are coming closer and closer to Ely all the time (and) I think Ely broke a record for having so many deer in the city limits,” said Berrini. “That’s telling you the wolves are going to go where the deer are. Am I right?”
Skraba said he hopes the federal government turns wolf management back to the state of Minnesota, and that the state follows through with a wolf trapping season.
School funding was also front and center Monday, and both Skraba and Hauschild said they were aware of the impact that post secondary enrollment option defections have on Ely’s school funding.
This year, 38 high school juniors and seniors in Ely take classes at Vermilion Community College, and that number is expected to grow to 51 in 2026-27, amounting to 57 percent of the students in the top two grades.
“This is absolutely killing our high schools,” said Skraba. “When the high school is losing up to 57 percent of their funding on these issues, that’s a lot of money to try to make up. Something has to give there.”
While it got a lifeline from the community and state legislation better than two years ago, Ely’s nursing home continues to face financial pressures, according to Adam Masloski, director at Ely’s Boundary Waters Care Center.
“At times it seems like we’re taking one step forward and two steps back,” said Masloski.
Masloski cited an array of obstacles including federal regulations and a change that allows more nursing homes to be declared critical access nursing homes.
“It gave us a much smaller slice of an already small pizza,” said Masloski, who said funding was cut by about two-thirds as a result. “These things are a danger to us to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars... If nursing homes start closing and the community keeps aging, I don’t know where they’re going to get care.”
Hauschild pledged to address the funding issues and Skraba added its dilemma not unique to Ely.
“It’s not just Ely, I can go to Sleepy Eye or anywhere and it’s the exact same issue,” said Skraba.
Patti Banks, chief executive officer at Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital, followed Masloski with a similar story and said rural hospitals “are facing unprecedented financial stress.”
EBCH posted a $1.3 million operating loss in 2025, in part because of declines in use of some hospital services as well as rising labor and supply expenditures.
Banks called the loss “significant,” adding “we are fortunate that we do have some reserves but it has been an eye-opener to see how interdependent we really are.”
“We are a small little hospital but we are being expected to take care and be a partner in our communities,” said Banks.
Ha rold La ngowsk i, clerk-treasurer for the city of Ely, reiterated the importance of local government aid and its impact on the city budget.
He hailed both Hauschild and Skraba for protecting LGA from cuts, but noted that the city saw a 0.12 percent increase in 2025 and will get 0.22 percent more this year, when inflation is running at around three or four percent.
He noted the city raised its property levy by five percent after streamlining its budget.
“We have reduced in our public works department,” said Langowski. “We are really lean. What will happen if we have to make additional cuts will probably be some loss of services.”
Langowski also voiced hope that Congress would follow through on a $2 million appropriation for the city’s water line project, which is also in the running for as much as $3.9 million in state bonding funds.
“We’re keeping our fingers crossed to get that $2 million and the state bonding,” said Langowski.
Langowski also noted that groundbreaking is expected this spring on a 37-unit, market rate housing project to be located near the Sibley Apartments.
Construction will begin this year with occupancy expected in 2027. Skraba said that housing remains a vital issue for the region.
“Once you start to solve the housing problem, jobs will come,” said Skraba. “There are people that want to invest in northern Minnesota, but if they bring 200 employees where are they going to live?”
Economic development was also a hot topic as city officials mentioned a renewed push to bring more Minnesota Department of Revenue jobs to Ely, and to make sure the state is complying with existing statute related to state jobs to be located here.
The city was set to renovate part of the city-owned building in the business park to accommodate Revenue jobs before the agency backed out.
Paul Peltier, executive director of the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools, was present and highlighted his group’s efforts to streamline environmental permitting for regional mining projects, as well as the ongoing debate over sulfate standards related to wild rice, and how those are impacting mining projects.
“It comes down to clarity, a path forward for the businesses in our region,” said Peltier.
Peltier also voiced support for Hauschild and Skraba’s efforts to reverse legislation that took some seasonal-recreational property tax money from local school districts, and called northern Minnesota “the playground for the rest of the state.”
Berrini also renewed a call for townships to receive more state aid, but legislation to do that was removed in negotiations during the last budget cycle and Skraba said it can be a tough sell, given higher property values in the townships.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) had an aide at the meeting, and Rachel Loeffler- Kemp touted Klobuchar’s efforts to visit each of Minnesota’s 87 counties every year.
In 2025, Klobuchar heard from constituents about an assortment of issues, including health care, housing, educated workforce and the impact of tariffs.
