The Daily Dispatch

Breckenridge Mayor Cliff Barth and City Attorney Tim Fox traveled to Washington, D.C., this week to support Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., in securing flood funding. The meeting included Fargo and Moorhead, Minn., officials along with other cities in the state of Minnesota in need of flood funding.

"Peterson called me last week and requested our presence to get funding for Breckenridge and back up the money for the Fargo end," Barth said. "The main purpose of the meeting [for us] was we lost $600,000 [in flood funding] we thought we were going to get out of the stimulus. We were there to try to recover that."

Also, Barth and Fox attended the meeting to get reauthorization for Breckenridge's flood mitigation project. "We've gotten to that point where we have so much funding we need reauthorization," Barth said. "We're trying to get another $5 million to $5.5 million for the last phase of the project for next year."

In sitting down with Fargo and Moorhead officials, Barth said he made it very clear neither Breckenridge nor Wahpeton are done with flood protection projects. Breckenridge has to get final funding so Wahpeton can move forward with its projects, Barth explained. "We still have probably 75 percent of inner-city dikes to finish," he said.

The group also discussed future flood planning, how to contain water from coming upstream fast and flooding so bad, and flood recovery. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and N.D. Gov. John Hoeven both attended the meeting. Barth said Pawlenty supported Breckenridge very well.

"I left there with a very good feeling that the appropriations committee will get everything in place," Barth said.

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