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of 853cities in Minnesota--and cannot be applied to more than 20% of a MSA city’s lane miles. <br />Existing MSA is not keeping up with needs on the MSA system. <br />Key messages <br />This is enabling legislation. No city would be required to create a municipal street <br />improvement district. <br />The street improvement district authority legislation is modeled after Minn. Stat. 435.44, <br />which allows cities to establish sidewalk improvement districts. <br />This authority would provide a funding mechanism that is fair. It establishes a clear <br />relationship between who pays fees and where projects occur, but stops short of the benefit <br />test that sometimes makes special assessments vulnerable to legal challenges. It also does <br />not prohibit cities from collecting fees from tax exempt properties within a district. <br />Fees paid under a street improvement district would be deductible just as property taxes <br />are. <br />This tool allows cities to perform maintenance and reconstruction on schedule. Timely <br />maintenance is essential to preserving streets and thereby protecting taxpayer investments. <br />This tool would allow property owners to fund expensive projects by paying relatively <br />small fees over time. The tool could be used to mitigate or eliminate the need for special <br />assessments. <br />LMC Contact: Anne Finn, Assistant IGR Director, 651-281-1263,afinn@lmc.org <br />Updated March 13, 2013 <br /> <br />