Minnesota Agencies

The Minnesota Public Facilities Authority provides municipal financing programs and expertise to help communities build public infrastructure that preserves the environment, protects public health, and promotes economic growth.

Commonly known as the PFA, the authority administers and oversees the financial management of three revolving loan funds and other programs that help local units of government construct facilities for clean water (including wastewater, stormwater and drinking water) and other kinds of essential public infrastructure projects.

The Minnesota Public Facilities Authority (PFA) is a multi-agency authority that provides municipal financing expertise and infrastructure financing programs to enhance the environmental and economic vitality of the State.

The authority makes low-interest loans and grants available to finance infrastructure that might otherwise be unaffordable to communities if they had to borrow money for the projects at market rates.

Since inception in 1987, the PFA has financed $4.5 billion in public infrastructure projects in communities throughout Minnesota as of 2022.

The Minnesota Public Facilities Authority consists of the commissioner of employment and economic development, the commissioner of management and budget, the commissioner of the Pollution Control Agency, the commissioner of agriculture, the commissioner of health, and the commissioner of transportation.

The commissioner of employment and economic development shall serve as the chair and chief executive officer of the authority. The authority shall have the position of vice-chair rotate annually among its members. In the absence of the chair or vice-chair at meetings of the authority members may elect a chair for the meeting, and may elect other officers as necessary from its members.

Prior to a membership change made by the Legislature in 1994 (see Laws of Minn. 1994, chap. 632, art. 2, sec. 42), the authority also included three members appointed by the governor, and subject to the advice and consent of the senate, who are noted in the report below.

The authority shall employ and the chair shall appoint, with the concurrence of the authority, an executive director in the unclassified service. The executive director may employ a deputy director and chief financial officer.

The executive director shall: perform duties that the authority may require in carrying out its responsibilities to manage and implement the funds and programs in this chapter, implementation of debt issuance authorized by the authority, compliance with all state and federal program requirements, and state and federal securities and tax laws and regulations; employ officers, employees, and agents that the executive director considers necessary to discharge the functions of the executive director; and define the duties of officers, employees, and agents, and delegate to them any of the powers, duties, and responsibilities, subject to the executive director's control and under conditions prescribed by the executive director.