Comments on: Legislature Back in Session; Local Governments Concerned http://redrockonair.com/news/2010/02/04/legislature-back-in-session-local-govt-units-concerned/ A Half-Century of Excellence. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:46:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: PC Person http://redrockonair.com/news/2010/02/04/legislature-back-in-session-local-govt-units-concerned/comment-page-1/#comment-3467 PC Person Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:54:09 +0000 http://redrockonair.com/?p=18579#comment-3467 The governor is an outspoken critic of LGA, a program that helps cities provide essential services -- police, fire protection, libraries, parks -- at an affordable price to property taxpayers but, understandably, he doesn't like acknowledging the property tax increases and service cuts that result from state-level cuts to LGA funding. Since Pawlenty took office in 2003, LGA has been cut by just more than $1 billion cumulatively, and city property taxes have consequently increased more than 60 percent statewide. The mayor of Bemidji put it well: "That's a major public relations problem for someone who trumpets a 'no new taxes' policy, and just as tax increases have been deflected to the local level, so has the blame." The governor is an outspoken critic of LGA, a program that helps cities provide essential services — police, fire protection, libraries, parks — at an affordable price to property taxpayers but, understandably, he doesn’t like acknowledging the property tax increases and service cuts that result from state-level cuts to LGA funding.

Since Pawlenty took office in 2003, LGA has been cut by just more than $1 billion cumulatively, and city property taxes have consequently increased more than 60 percent statewide.

The mayor of Bemidji put it well: “That’s a major public relations problem for someone who trumpets a ‘no new taxes’ policy, and just as tax increases have been deflected to the local level, so has the blame.”

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