Duluth City Council maintains its commitment to high-speed train

An effort to remove $40,000 in Duluth city funding for the Northern Lights Express high-speed railroad project failed by a 6-3 vote Monday.

Councilor Todd Fedora proposed eliminating the 2011 allocation, suggesting the project was unlikely to occur in light of the state's budgetary struggles and the shift of the Minnesota Legislature to Republican control.

"Effectively, all we're doing is flushing this money down the commode," Fedora said.

Also opposing continued funding were councilors Jay Fosle and Jim Stauber.

But Councilor Kerry Gauthier, a supporter of the rail project, said: "It would be short-sighted based on one election to say let's throw this out. Things could change in two more years."

Besides Gauthier, the five other councilors backing continued funding of the railroad initiative included Patrick Boyle, Tony Cuneo, Jeff Anderson, Sharla Gardner and Dan Hartman.

Cuneo noted that the $40,000 earmarked for the Northern Lights project represents less than 1 percent of the more than $7 million in tourism taxes Duluth collects.

Anderson, too, spoke in favor of continued funding for NLX, noting that as gas prices increase, interest in rapid mass transit is likely to intensify.

"Now, more than ever, Duluth needs to remain committed to this project," he said. "I think it is essential to have a seat at the table."