Local Government

There are over 13,500 City Council, Township Board and County Board members in the state of Minnesota... that's a lot of local government... 


I believe there has to be a reduction in the amount of cities, townships and counties in our state if we are going to have efficient cost effective government. Local Government Aid and other support structures for communities that can not or will not tax enough to support the services their residents need is going away. State government needs to reverse their unnecessary unfunded mandates and let communities keep more of their tax dollars at home. The State also must stop dictating local tax and fee rates. Many of the fees we charge are really hidden state taxes we as a City must charge and collect only to pass it on to the state. The State will yell loudly they are trying to keep taxes low with levy limits on local government but there are so many loop holes in these limits that Swiss cheese is more solidly constructed. Yet the State hides under a rock as their mandated fees are collected by local government and then passed up in something akin to a pyramid scheme. 


Our state level of government complains about "dependent" cities, townships and counties yet it still wants to hold absolute power over us. They want to cut financial ties yet continue to pass unfunded mandates regardless of political party. 


Let us not be fooled the state will cut local aid to all levels of local government then not send the money back to the taxpayer they took it from but simply to spend it else where. Today's local government aid will be spent on some other project tomorrow. So if the Legislature and Governor want to cut these payments I say fine.... but then give the tax payers their money back... don't be hypocrites and simply say you are "saving" then spend it else where....


The last quick point is all this borrowing into the future. School shifts or tobacco bonds or perhaps they will try alchemy next time is just stealing from the future so hard decisions do not have to be made today. Either cut spending or raise taxes or both but stop this legalized theft. As a City we are mandated to have a real balanced budget and to hold all of our decisions making meetings in public and to have at least 72 hours notice of anything we vote on. The State legislative leadership and Governor have no such rules that apply to them. They meet in private for days then give the public and other legislators less than a day to look at the bills and laws they pass. 


I thought we were suppose to be a good government state...