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<br />"stlll~~ris, ,
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<br />'say.same.Q lClwS<"':":"
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<br />- ~\!.:.:~~j,;:[~~i.:>\;,.~~,;: ,
<br />By !VIlke~~~~ V""". '.' ....~...." .
<br />Star Jr1~,!,~,e'~tajfW17:ter:.'~ ~',,~; \:~ ;i\
<br />.~ i~~~'i~.;h~~if#~~tf':~e.~:j~ ,',
<br />cently' setit$ptoposedtax leVy.::.. ",
<br />for;iieXty~~r,,~oardChairma.n,.;' 'i.':
<br />Darf:Er1ia~.;had,this...iQ.essage\,..":,
<br />fo~'(\' .'. y~tW:~l'he\.Countf;::.
<br />, Bo~riiin'roumgback the'"
<br />, 1.,.~, .; ~.ft,r ~ ",... ,r
<br />. . 'r~'Ht f
<br />; , , . 'YI.sQoQ...;~ '>in
<br />Ii < '. ~ Git<;' ,
<br />'.' , ~"'~, ". ,!'Il",,,
<br />Ie . i'! ,'1Iltact; 'IS- qi ~
<br />sue-~'staten,ien~ iriSeptember..:.:" "
<br />stressirigtIieir financialpru.~;" .'
<br />defi~e~in,~ett"Ilgp'wpem~~~lI)(,. '.
<br />levies for 2000.' ::".',:;.."..' ',..: i:';, i.,
<br />B'ut'nane> o( those';state::'
<br />ments traiislates.intoaholding' ,
<br />of.,the line on' spending by
<br />coUnties, let'alone a reduction. .
<br />critics argue th(lt local govem-
<br />ments'- <;:ounties, muriicipal-
<br />ities and school districts-- of-:
<br />ten ; make statements that ate .
<br />technicany.' accUrate but mis-
<br />lead. t;ixpayers Who are not fa-'
<br />mUra{with, the complexities of..
<br />the property-taX'system. ".;' i...
<br />"They play this game,7 said '
<br />Rep. Bob Milbert, DFL-South
<br />St. Paul, the coauthor of a law '
<br />that, starting this month; at-
<br />temptsto hold local officials "
<br />more accountable, "The poor
<br />sap that is reading the paper
<br />will saYi 'Gee, my taxes won't.
<br />goup."". '.' .
<br />. It's easy to see how taxpay-
<br />erscan be confused..,' .
<br />As Washington County's
<br />board 01 commissioners voted
<br />last month..to'increase the
<br />amount of properly tax the'
<br />. county will collect)y a maxi-
<br />mum of5.8 percen!, one com-
<br />missio'ner publicly' .' thanked
<br />'. couniy.of~~ials f~~ their bud ~ .
<br />
<br />ge~ Al~~;J~~~,i'J;;p.j:~k{:i:'~ ~~. ;:.;..
<br />TAXES COntInues on 84:'" "",' .'
<br />-A.lobk 4t properly taxterms'
<br />and how cOunties haVe ',; " "
<br />inCreased revenue. n'. : ",
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />PAGE B4- STAR TRIBuNE *
<br />
<br />
<br />! ~ '... ,; >~:' :~j~~~:',
<br />'."':..' .,
<br />i: .... ~ from 81
<br />
<br />1 ',it: ;1.i. .,',.'..'.... ;,.' 0" :'.-1" . ." .... '. . .
<br />
<br />.' "~,'.While sOrne:,county fax, rates.. ..'
<br />l '<<7,la1i~;~fjit/fi'}taxQill$ still . 0 U .. .
<br />';"', . .l~"~i~~1:~'~;~:':J;;;.;/~<g~"'r<;}"<"':.:J}" ,,', f! ..... ...n,
<br />.;.;'....,';;~;,;..The:6.its'{as ittutIiedour,'yvere,f"county touted ma press release is'.
<br />",;:'}'ahri~~t~t'keepmgptoposedspend-;: :that it wiIlhold down the amount'
<br />. . \; ':);<mgfu~eaSes.froni!ex'ceeilingJhe';::. of the increase the county will g~t
<br />
<br />l:'\:..'G:~~,~it~rtjm=iiri~)"tifi~i~~~,;:inp~op~~~~~:;,'.,:::':, '. '.' . ,.,,:.y'
<br />
<br />. 1""':;/ pointed, proudly Jast'month ,to:;' Understanding nd. , . .
<br />! ;':.<how},'W:e"c?uhtts:'!ax;fa!e'wa~:\"";::;Erhart' d~fended his actions. .
<br />i,:,~;'.aIIl;Ol1g_;~~'lo~est\1n.th!l.;~e~o:t:'."'Ye don't SIt here and calculate
<br />j.'(' "~~;;; area~;'~d, at the samelp.eeting~: how to pull a budget together that
<br />!<.~'j7::';; votedC'io;'ihcie~e~the' amount of'i, doesn't tell folks how their money'
<br />j :i;~)i~Y prop~nytaxestheywillcolle~tm"~~'jsspent/" hesaid.!'This is'il very
<br />;}.',:7i;':) 2Q9~;"l?y.'~5ina~miu1i(p!;~}p~~:{',:well-ri1n~opntY goyeriiment here. .'
<br />1....~i:'.::,..' ceIltik<.'Ji:I~!r~~lt'~~~iA:~)'A"';,',';;.I.:'l'}'.we understand the word ,'no.' We
<br />"i,"";:,:':}~}~~~rm;?alway{coiif;rnedwhen>WiderstaD.d thew-ord 'efflcient.'/': .
<br />. .t: ..':;{~th~J!S~y)ve:iel ad~irig: this~'and<J:;~', County pfficials' in', the metro
<br />.. i'f.,<:addffigtliat," said Sue.Voelker,.an..... . area said they often.ar~forced to'.
<br />'. . f: J~.';'Arioka. :Count}t'resident;wholast '.' faise budgets' because of factors.
<br />\ L'.)' year'attendedtl1e cojmtY'S'ahilUal;d 'beyond their control; such as sal:
<br />~.' ;;c':".:i~..publicbearing pn prope~taxes. , ary inCJ;eases for union employees
<br />~l \. ~i"';'Altha~glfsb,E; s3.id'she~liassome'and rising heath care costs;"Iri
<br />}t i;,~(/uitdeistindin'g: 'of ,ho~r.property... Anoka County, salaries and bene-
<br />HL(:t\; ~es ,are ca1culatea,'~it's"stil1hard ...., fitS Will account for ,$98.5 million
<br />i;I:.,,:::,..'~:to khow~hattheiinpactis:-",...:~'k")" of the county's proposed $17.4.4
<br />;\,";';;"'("';"<,''; . ;,,,';~: \ qmillionbudgetfor2000.' ,
<br />JiIL,..;...J~~ur~ebutc9nf~Slng<. ,.~~thersdisagree as .to what's
<br />.'.1!.'.,;....:!'~' In AIioka.County,\V'hlchtradi~ .i.: taking place. "You're gomg to look
<br />"L'~. .'':':~.. tiQIially!has 'had'a'cOIiservative::' for ways to:iilise levies 'without'
<br />,>~:\/?appr~ach':'to" property~~ax: .... in-~'J raising taxpayer ire;" Lynn Reed;
<br />df;;i:'.,creases;}, Brhart'ss~atementJast'; the research director of the Min:'
<br />'.lk ;X::>,'molitllwas'accura:te,lbecouniy's .'nesotaTaxpayers Association: said
<br />h~kr.;,.::taxr~te\Yil.1 decr~ase, by 3.35 per: :: IIi eXplaining' what he thought
<br />.:'(y\..,'cent; from 32:26 percent in, 1999 to'" . local governments are doing. "So..
<br />:j':,: ~.: '31~18 percerit'nexryear~ Thld~ they're goirtg to blame valua-
<br />'i'~'7S"~^"rate is multiplied by another fig~ nons.". '..' -,: '. ."
<br />. 'lq}Y',.':~~e;a propelty'S'tax.capacity,in a . '.' IfAno~a County were totn,lly.'
<br />; +r'>~;::.o; fOrmul~tha~detemunes \Vhat thati, hol~ the li~e on property-tax m-
<br />Il :~'f".'property:S,-:owner,paY'~to, th~. creases, sllld Reed, the county
<br />:1 ;;;:r:d.county.in taXes.;.".".<<.,,,.',' would have cut the tax rate by 6
<br />'f;.',\tj::.:>:jWh~t E~hart did not mention is} percent -,-an amoun~ that wou~d'
<br />li;;;.h.;,:mOreslgnifi.ccmt. Next year, even offset. the expected mcrease m
<br />; r\;~~:'{~: after,' re4uc~g::.th~ . rate;. .Anoka.~. .property values -:-- .aIld not by 3.35 '
<br />!}):;f': COunty,Will.~'conecti $3' .:million L percent.:; '..~'~~;.i t.';.
<br />.;ij'ri""mor~inpropertytaxesthanitdidc,,' .'.,'. ", ",;::,...: "';."
<br />j :., (1 ',.theyea(before.The county's total.: B~low the radar" .'
<br />li, .:,~.;' revenue fro.inproperty,taxeswill,'~';.The phenomenon is not con-
<br />1 ;)' reach $63.1millioa: '.; " ;" . fined to cOunties. And although
<br />'. j f;,:;::That;llhe~au~,epr<>.pe~YaIues,. '. coun,ties..account ~or ~ywhere
<br />'I ",,;,' m ~oka: County are; on average,' .from a fourthto a third of a home-
<br />: !i."'expect~d ~oincreaseby6percent ..0Wllei:'s'. total' property-tax bill",
<br />,'1,:/:,and;1iecause})h~'to'groWth;" theyOft,eIi,do not rank as high on a
<br />..' j ...., ,.:;there\~ 'be morffpropertles to" taxpayer'sty radar..as . cities arid
<br />. ; L;,;",tax;Ahomevaluedat $150,000 in. school districts~ '.: ..' ,
<br />:1<: 1999','Will~'iIkrease:iiFvalue .to,:;:,jbi'IDost' metro' counties the
<br />) .:; ;':,"'~159~9~OnextYeClri So theamOUrifi.,;:'c()i1fusionis compounded by offi-
<br />'~..;~;~l;~,orpi:op~rtYtaXes'(:ollecte~ fiom:;:~dals Who stress that the impact on
<br />,';~Y'~!!1op!e'\VoUld increase' even if"itaxpayers next year Will be mini-
<br />~fi;', the.~c~untydoes'nothingto raise';,' mal. ' In ,< Dakota. County, the
<br />.1-::: ;: ;,:;~'i'a~~;IA~!=:' i~;~!,~~ '~~:';;::;A:.;'t:Y~i~':1.~i countY's share :of the property-tax
<br />,1<,.,';';.',;:vThe'reaI 'effect of the tax~rate:;;'hill on a $150,000 home Will go up.
<br />. H'h~..!;:i;:redtiCtiOri:,.that '.Erhart 'and:the" by $8 a year: In AD.oka County, it
<br />r-.~ ":"<~:~/~::::~,~~'i~~~!!~.~~:~.~'.~' ~;.:~~_i'-';:,:;.>~'.'t~:.-~:.. . .:'.: ~';-l_-:,\-.L-;-,: "\i-,',' ':-. '
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