10-12-10 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

!EDITOR ' S NOTE CityFinances EAGOUE OF LMI N N ESOTA CITIES By Claudia Hoffacker League of Minnesota Cities Executive Director,Jim Miller Board of Directors,2010-2011 is hard to find agreement on the Shrinking property tax bases corn- President,Richard Brainerd, status of the Great Recession. bined with growing resistance to the Councilmember,Mahtomedi Some say it's over and recovery is property tax amid an extremely slow First Vice President,H.Dan Ness, beginning while others say it's still economic recovery and high unem- Mayor,Alexandria going and may not end any time ployment means that it is increasingly Second Vice President,Betsy Hodges, soon.Whatever economists say,the difficult for cities to raise the property Councilmember,Minneapolis reality is that people everywhere tax to fund local services.At the same are still struggling financially. time,cities don't currently have many Doug Anderson Rodney Otterness Man are still facin tou decisions other or revenue. Mayor City Administrator Y g � f optionsraising Dayton International Falls like,if we replace the broken clothes It is clear that changes need to be y dryer,will we be able to pay the elec- made in the way cities provide and Jeff Bertram Molly Park Councilmember Mayor tricity bill this month? pay for services.That's why the League Paynesville Sunfish Lake Like individuals,cities are experienc- launched a new initiative called Cities, Shawn Gillen Rhonda Pownell ing declining revenues and also have Services &Funding:Broader Thinking, City Administrator Councilmember to make tough financial decisions:Can Better Solutions in an effort to initiate Grand Rapids Northfield we put off scheduled maintenance to public discussion that will help solve Lee Helgen the sewer system? Can we keep the this financial crisis.You can read more Councilmember Ex Officio library open? Can we fix the streets that about this effort on page 6. St. Paul Lester Heitke iii• are riddled with potholes? How much Also in this issue,as in previous years, Mark Karnowski NLC Second Vice President City Administrator Mayor, Willmar Ardell F.Brede snow can we plow this winter? In fact, we've included a table showing prop Princeton the situation is so dire that a recent erty tax data for all Minnesota cities. LMC Past President studyprojected that if nothingchanges, In addition,the supplement with this Andy Kauffman g pp Mayor Mayor,Rochester all types of cities across Minnesota will issue features a table that allows you to Montrose Tim Strand have a budget deficit in five years. compare your city's tax information Susan Larson CGMC Representative There are a variety of reasons for with averages of cities from the same Councilmember Mayor,St.Peter declining city revenues,including cuts geographic region or population size Isanti Mike Maguire in state aids and decreased market category.You'll also find more property Steve Nasby Metro Cities Representative values.This year's League of Minne- tax information on the League's website • City Administrator Mayor,Eagan sota Cities (LMC) property tax report at wwwirnc.org/page/l/property- Windom Jeff Kletscher reveals that cities are seeing some tax-state-funding-fiscal-issues jsp. Dave Osberg MAOSC Representative values shrink for the first time since As part of the Cities,Services &Fund- Administrator Mayor,Floodwood the League began its annual analysis ing initiative,the League produced two Hastings 18 years ago.One example is that total videos to educate the public and ask market value for cities overall decreased for ideas to solve the problem.People Upcoming Board meeting 3 percent from 2009 to 2010.Last year can view the videos and submit their Oct.2t,2oto LMC Bundling was the first time we saw a reduction in comments and ideas on the LMC blog, residential homestead market value,and "Outside the Ox,"at wwwoutside Minnesota Cities magazine we're seeing another decline in that area theox.org.We hope you'll check it out, Editor Claudia Hoffacker this year.Other firsts for this year are spread the word,and get involved!r Designer Stephanie Thoe declines in non-homestead residential REPRINTS:Contact Claudia Hoffacker at values and commercial-industrial Claudia Hoffacker is web content and (651)21-4032 or choffacker@lmc.org to request permission to reprint articles.Minnesota Cities values.(See the report on page 4.) publications manager with the League of (ISSN-0148-8546)is published bimonthly for Minnesota Cities. Phone:(651)215-4032. $30 per year,single copy$5,by League of Minnesota E-mail:choffacker@lmc.org. Cities, 145 University Avenue West,Saint Paul, Minnesota 55103.Telephone:(651)281-1200. Fax:(651)281-1299.Web site:unvw.lmc.org. Periodicals postage paid at Saint Paul,Minnesota and li other mailing offices.Publication number 351960. POSTMASTER:Send address changes to:League of Minnesota Cities,145 University Avenue West, Saint Paul,Minnesota 55103-2044. 2 M I N N E S O T A CITIES S E P T E M B E R-O C T O B E R 2010