6.0. SR 11-10-2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

MOUNDS VIEW City seeks leVY' fOr 2 more officers Solution to reduced state funding sought BY ALLEN POWELL II Pioneer Press Many cities are scrambling to find ways to restore money cut by the state this past spring, but Mounds View is the~ only one looking for help from voters. The city is placing a tax ref- erendum on its Nov. 4 ballot that would allow it to increase prop-, erty taxes up to 0.021 percent to pay for two new patrol officers. When state lawmakers cui~ aid to local governments last spring in an effort to balance the state budget, they told cities~ to make up no more than 60 per- cent of the losses in higher property taxes unless they obtained voter permission. Like many cities, Mounds~ View is assessing enough property taxes to raise 60 per~ cent of the $456,000 it lost~ Unlike others, it is asking voteff~ for permission to raise more. Gary Carlson, a lobbyist with the League of Minnesota Citie~ said more cities might try what~ Mounds View is doing as tl~ ramifications of state cut6. become apparent. Aid to citie~ and towns was cut 21 percent b~ the state Legislature in 2003 anc~ will be cut an additional 6 per- cent for 2004. '~ lot of cities are just trying to figure out how to cope with the cuts to state aid, and many cities have not thought about exceeding the levy law," he said. The law restricting the amount of aid losses that cities can recoup through property taxes is supposed to expire in 2005, Carlson said, but it likely will be extended. State Rep. Connie Bernardy, DFL-Fridley, said it makes sense that cities would seek additional levy money, because Gov. Tim Pawlenty's decision not to raise taxes essentially shifted that job to municipalities. "The bottom line is that the governor did not keep 'no new taxes' in the state," she said. Daniel Wolter, director of communications for Pawlenty's office, said it will be up to Mounds View voters to deter; · -L-:~ whether the additional levy is worth it. "It's a local deci; TAX REFERENDUM, 6C :: ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS referendum (continued) sion," he said in an e-mail. "It is up to the local leaders to make the case to voters on why such an increase is need- ed:" White Bear Lake lost about $493,834 in state aid, about the same as Mounds View, but the city never con- sidered using a tax referen- dum. said finance director Don Rainbow. "We haven't done any- thing like that in the 10 years I've been here," he said. White Bear Lake's fiscal performance policy, which sets thc guidelines for how the city gathers and spends money, frowns on using levies to generate operating funds. Levies should be used for long-term capital improve- ments, Rambow said. Fridley considered seek- ing funds for thc Springbrook Nature Center through a levy this November. That idea was ultimately discarded for 2003, but the levy should be on the ballot in 2004, said Rick Pribyl, the city's finance director. Mounds View officials say they decided to propose the special levy because they per- ceive the need for the officers as drastic and saw no other option. Without the levy, "I think (the idea of hiring more offi- cers) would just die," said Charlie Hansen, the city's finance director. "I don't know how else to come up with that much money." The city did not consider using reserves, Hansen said, because those are aimed at one-time expenses. '7~y time you're hiring an employee you've got payroll this year, payroll next year and the year after that," he said. "If you don't have a continuing source of income, you don't hire an employee." ............. ~n 2~00, Moun~is View tried to hire one new officer through a federal community- oriented policing grant, but its application was denied, Hansen said. In 2002, the city · was ready, to add an additign- al office~ but decided not to because of the looming cut- backs in local government aid. With those cuts now a reality, an additional levy is the only choice, Hansen said. Mounds View Police Chief Mike Sommer said the city has 1.3 officers per 1,000 .resi- dents, well below the national average of 2.5 and slightly below the state average of 1.6. If the levy passes, Mounds View staffing will rise tO 1.5 officers per 1,000 residents. Mounds View has 17 sworn officers right now, nine of whom are patrol officers. On average, there are four hoUrs every day in which only one patrol officer is on duty, Sommer said. That could be a safety haz- ard in a city that had 455.9 serious crimes per 10,000 resi- debts in 2002, Sommer said, a figure higher than the state's index of 356.1 and the national average of about 420. It also means more strain on a department that is receiving more calls for service from residents. "It would have been easy for me to do nothing," he said. "This (the special levy) is not the easy path to take." If Mounds View assesses the maximum 0.021 percent levy, it would produce an esti- mated $143,000 for new patrol officers, Hansen said. A resi- dent with a $141,100 home, the median value in the city, would .pay $29.63 more a year at the maximum levy. But the city probably would not assess the full levy until four years from now when the new officers have gained seniority, Hansen said. In 2004, the city would just levy enough to produce the $104,000 needed to pay the costs of hiring rookie officers. That $104,000 includes . expenses such as wages, health insurance, uniform costs and liab~ty insurance increases, he said. About $70,500 of the total cost will go directly toward wages. ff the Mounds View levy is approved, it would be perma- nent and could only be removed through a City' Council vote, Hansen said. Hansen said it is unlikely the city will seek another vote next year if the referendum is ~ voted down this year. --~ ~ Alldn po~e~i ~an b'ereached at apowell@pioneerpress~com.+