Minnesota Statutes
Chapter 471. Municipal Rights, Powers, Duties
MINN. STAT. ANN. §471.59 JOINT EXERCISE OF POWERS.
Subdivision 1.Agreement.
Two or more governmental units, by agreement entered into through action of their governing bodies, may jointly or cooperatively exercise any power common to the contracting parties or any similar powers, including those which are the same except for the territorial limits within which they may be exercised. The agreement may provide for the exercise of such powers by one or more of the participating governmental units on behalf of the other participating units. The term “governmental unit” as used in this section includes every city, county, town, school district, independent nonprofit firefighting corporation, other political subdivision of this or another state, another state, federally recognized Indian tribe, the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Historical Society, nonprofit hospitals licensed under sections 144.50 to 144.56, rehabilitation facilities and extended employment providers that are certified by the commissioner of employment and economic development, day and supported employment services licensed under chapter 245D, and any agency of the state of Minnesota or the United States, and includes any instrumentality of a governmental unit. For the purpose of this section, an instrumentality of a governmental unit means an instrumentality having independent policy-making and appropriating authority.
Chapter 16C. State Procurement
MINN. STAT. ANN. §16C.105 COOPERATIVES AUTHORIZED.
The following entities are authorized to enter into cooperative purchasing agreements with the commissioner in accordance with section 16C.03, subdivision 10:
(1) one or more other states or governmental units, as described in section 471.59, subdivision 1;
(2) entities defined in section 16B.2975, subdivision 1;
(3) a registered combined charitable organization and its affiliated agencies as defined by section 43A.50;
(4) a charitable organization defined in section 309.50, subdivision 4, that is also a recipient of a state grant or contract;
(5) a nonprofit community health clinic defined in section 145.9268; and
(6) health care facilities that are required to provide indigent care, or any entity recognized by another state’s statutes as authorized to use that state’s commodity or service contracts.