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A change in the state’s telework policy could have an impact in Ely.
Gov. Tim Walz announced Tuesday that most state agency employees will be required to work in person for at least 50 percent of their workdays, effective June 1.
The move, which rolls back policies implemented in 2020 at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, will impact Minnesota Department of Revenue employees who work in Ely.
It also prompted discussion by Ely city officials Tuesday evening at the city’s economic development authority meeting.
About two years ago, the state sold the office building that housed dozens of Revenue workers to the Ely Area Community Foundation, which has since repurpose the building as The Hub.
But a city-owned facility next door, also in the city’s business park, houses a few Revenue workers unable to work from home and also serves as home to Ely’s VA Clinic.
Ely council member Al Forsman hailed the decision by Walz and called it “huge...I think for us it would be great to see that Revenue Building full.”
The state once had over 100 Department of Revenue employees in Ely, with most working out of the building that now houses The Hub and the remainder in the cityowned facility.
Given the work-fromhome initiatives in place since the onset of the pandemic, it’s not clear how many Revenue employees now are based in Ely, but that’s something the city may revisit.
“I’m glad you mentioned the number of employees in Ely,” said clerk-treasurer Harold Langowski. “It always was a legislative item over how many Department of Revenue employees were in Ely compared to St. Paul. That’s something we always brought forward to the Commissioner of Revenue and that’s something we will want to follow up on.”
Maintaining or growing the number of state jobs in Ely has been a long-held priority for the city’s EDA, and Langowski said there’s ample room in the city-owned building and added it appears only a handful of employees now work from there.
“I believe the space is over 7,000 square feet,” said Langowski. “Depending on the work day, I believe they do some training in the building and there’s a handful of cars I see parked there. That space is still there, and I know at one time they were looking at upgrading the furniture.”
Forsman said “it’s a lot of excitement to get these people back in the offices.”
According to a news release issued Tuesday by Walz’s office, around 60 percent of state employees already work in-person and did so throughout the entirety of the pandemic.
“This approach balances the flexibility of telework with the workplace advantages of being in office,” said Walz. “Having more state employees in the office means that collaboration can happen more quickly and state agencies can build strong organizational cultures more easily.”
The policy change provides an exemption for employees who live more than 75 miles away from their primary work location, helping the State of Minnesota benefit from top talent in every corner of the state.
According to the news release, the policy change “supports the economic vitality of office districts like downtown Saint Paul, bringing foot traffic back to businesses and public spaces.”
Many major Minnesota employers are also now requiring in-person workdays for their employees.
