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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - NOVEMBER 24, 1997 2 . Mayor Probst noted he could give a brief summary explaining the Truth in Taxation process and point out what questions the Council would address. Councilmember Hicks noted a background would be nice and most likely would not take too long. Mr. Post continued his review of the draft agenda and noted the next section would be the presentation given by himself. This portion is divided into three sections: Making Sense of Property Taxes, Cost of City Services in Perspective, and Discussion of Proposed 1998 Budget. Mr. Post noted the first section would begin with the perspective of property tax and how it is determined, referring to his first slide. He explained he wished to make the point with this slide that City property tax is derived from not only the City but also the county assessor and State Legislature. It is a combination of these three factors which establishes the tax, not just the City Council. Mr. Post reviewed the next slide which continued with the theme of determining how the tax is calculated. By following the boxes through the slide, the resident has an idea of how the tax is determined. Council member Aplikowski stated she believed this slide would be very beneficial for the citizens. She inquired if this hearing would be on cable for those residents unable to attend. Mr. Post indicated he believed the hearing would be a tape delay broadcast on cable. . Mr. Post continued noting the slides given to the Council at the bench. He stated he would prefer to use the slide labeled Comparison of Market Value Changes, because one of the most dramatic items he observed in the information from the County was valuations for payable 1998 for Arden Hill s. This reflected that 66% of the properties in Arden Hills will have increases in market valuation between 5% and 10% by the county assessor and this will be a significant issue for the residents. Mayor Probst inquired for clarification, whether the information on the schedule is the assessor's review of residential property and does not reflect the trend of commercial to residential shift tbat will be going on. Mr. Post agreed. Mayor Probst noted it would be beneficial to point this out during the hearing. Mr. Post noted Slide 4 outlines a pie chart identifying the portion of the tax dollar and the percent (15%) that actually is the City of Arden Hills with 85% going to other taxing jurisdictions. Mr. Post noted he has removed what was previously identified as Slide 5, due to the fact that a significant share of governmental revenues for Arden Hills is from the tax levy. Mr. Post also noted that the City receives very little government aid assistance from the State. Mr. Post noted Slide 6 points out the comparison of 16 other metro cities of similar populations Witll that of Arden Hills. Mr. Post pointed out this comparison and the percentage of total . revenue received from State Aid and property tax to other similar cities. Arden Hill's expenditures are 20% less than the average of its peers.