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Page 3 <br />"[tJhere would seem little doubt that discourse concerning amending the state constitution, <br />and the allocation of public resources, as a general matter serves a legitimate public <br />purpose. <br />Both the attorney general and the Minnesota Court of Appeals, in Abrahamson, have stated that a <br />school district may expend public funds to educate voters on factual matters related to a ballot <br />question or levy referendum. <br />Any information a city provides to voters related to a proposed constitutional amendment must be <br />limited to factual matters, such as the potential impact of an amendment on the policies, <br />operations, ar budget of the city. For instance, a city could probably provide information about the <br />cost for the city to implement voter ID requirements. <br />6. Can a city donate public funds to an organization that advocates for or against <br />passage of a constitutional amendment? <br />No. Without express authority by charter or statute, cities have no authority to appropriate ar <br />donate public funds to any person, corporation, or private institution. The attorney general has <br />considered the question of donating public funds to various groups, and found many public <br />expenditures to be improper due to a lack of specific authority to donate, including donations to <br />arganizations specifically in support of advocacy of a political position. <br />