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#A-3: Cities have become more reliant on property taxes and special assessments. <br /> <br />In spite of recent news <br />accounts to the contrary, many <br />state and local lawmakers <br />have worked hard in recent <br />years to limit local property <br />tax burdens. There are a <br />variety of policy reasons for <br />pursuing lower property tax <br />burdens, but the two key <br />arguments are that exising <br />property taxes are already too <br />high, and that the property tax <br />is not generally directly <br />related to the taxpayer's <br />"ability to pay". <br /> <br />Figure 24 shows that funding <br />for city roads and bridges has <br />run counter to this objective, <br />and that property tax-based <br /> <br />$5OO <br />$450 <br />$400 <br />$350 <br />$300 <br />$25o <br />$2oo <br />$150 <br />$1oo <br />$5o <br />$o <br /> <br />Source: Office <br /> <br /> Figure 24 <br />Since 1990, there has been a growing reliance on the <br />sources of funding that are most reliant on property taxes <br />and special assessments <br /> I [] 1990 Revenues · 2000 Revenues <br /> ~ r <br /> <br />These sources <br />are funded <br />with property <br />tax based <br />revenues <br /> <br />of the State Auditor <br /> <br />revenues have become the most significant new source of funding for city roads and bridges. (In <br />fact, this should not be too surprising since property tax-based revenues are often the only practical <br />funding source available, as this report has shown.) <br /> <br />#A-4: City bridges are in needs of repairs. <br /> <br />Figure 25 was <br />presented earlier in <br />the report (as Figure <br />19 on page 21) and <br />is repeated here to <br />emphasize that city <br />bridges are aging, <br />and as the bridges <br />built prior to 1950 <br />age and approach <br />the end of their <br />useful lives, more <br />and more bridges <br />will require major <br />repair and reconstruction. <br /> <br /> Figure 25 <br />Age of Minnesota's MSA and City Bridges 10 Feet and Over by <br />Decade Constructed <br /> <br />3OO <br />25O <br />2O0 <br />150 <br />lO0 <br />50 <br />0 <br /> <br />Bridges approaching the end of their <br /> <br />Maturing bridges <br />requiring greater <br />maintenance and <br />rehabilitation <br /> <br />The Mn/DOT Office of Bridges and Structures prepares an annual report on the condition of all <br />Minnesota's state and locally owned bridges. For purposes of assessing the level of unfunded need to <br />improve the deficient bridges on the local system, the Mn/DOT Office of Bridges and Structures has <br />estimated the costs to improve these bridges so that they would no longer be classified as deficient. <br />Figure 26 shows the estimated improvement costs to upgrade all deficiencies on bridges in the MSA <br />and city street systems with sufficiency ratings less than 80%. <br /> 26 <br /> <br /> <br />