AM.MN: Opat suffers giftee’s remorse over Minneapolis libraries

Two facts were missing from the lamentation by Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat in Sunday’s Star Tribune over $8.5 million in maintenance costs for the Minneapolis libraries that the county got gratis. First, the value of the books, buildings, land and financing that the city gave away: $400 million dollars by one estimate. And city taxpayers alone are paying off construction costs on Hennepin’s new flagship $125 million central library. But at least Minneapolitans got to vote on that, as opposed to the county’s library takeover or its sales tax for the new Twins stadium.

Elsewhere in Minnesota news this morning …

BLOOMINGTON: Disappointment guaranteed. The Mall of America is promising that some Sarah Palin fans won’t get what they came for at today’s noon book-signing event. [Associated Press]

STATEWIDE: Cities join to privatize public functions. Such deals cut costs (as flexible, resourceful inspectors use cell phones for flashlights), and service is “almost always” improved when consortiums pay for services. [St. Paul Pioneer Press]

MINNEAPOLIS: Make no small plans. That was Mayor R.T. Rybak’s message as he launched his campaign for governor Sunday, with a firm grip on Obama’s organizational coattails. [Minnesota Public Radio]

DULUTH: No longer the sole provider. Does a second shoe-repair shop suggest a double-dip recession? [Duluth News Tribune]

NEW LONDON: Eroding their welcome? A new city fee targets a water ski team that uses local park to practice and put on shows. [West Central Tribune]

MINNEAPOLIS: “IraqAf pakisNam is a quagmire.” So read one of the signs at Saturday’s protest against escalation of the war in Afghanistan. [Huffington Post]