Both the House and Senate released their bonding bills today, each totaling roughly $1 billion.
House DFL releases jobs plan
Rep. Ann Lenczewski (DFL-Bloomington), chair of the House Tax Committee, announced a plan last Friday to create jobs in various sectors. The full press release can be found here. Of note, the plan would boost Angel Investment and Historic Rehabilitation tax credits, while allowing cities more flexibility with using TIF. As the press release mentions, [...]
Posted February 1st 2010 in News
State Auditor finds that reliance on property taxes grows when LGA cut
This week, State Auditor Rebecca Otto released her office’s annual report on city finances.
Posted January 15th 2010 in LGA, News, Property Taxes, State budget
Important info for cities regarding unallotment lawsuit ruling
With a ruling issued in the unallotment lawsuit, CGMC provides further information to its members regarding the future implications of this action.
Posted January 5th 2010 in News, State budget, Unallotment lawsuit
Mayors respond to governor’s decision to spare LGA from December unallotment
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Wadena Mayor Wayne Wolden, spokesperson for the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, released the following statement in response to Governor Pawlenty’s decision to spare LGA from December unallotment.
Posted December 8th 2009 in Jobs, LGA, News, State budget
Signs point to disproportionate LGA cut
Today’s budget forecast projects that the state is facing a $1.2 billion deficit for the current 2010-2011 biennium and a $5.4 billion deficit for the 2012-2013 biennium. Continue reading for CGMC reaction.
Posted December 2nd 2009 in News, State budget
‘Enough is enough’: City officials set goals to recover LGA funding in 2010
Protecting and recovering local government aid (LGA) funding in the 2010 legislative session was chief among the discussions held at the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities’ (CGMC) fall conference. This year’s conference, hosted in Alexandria, Minn., brought together mayors and city officials from across the state to set the policies that will direct the Coalition’s legislative actions in the coming year.
Posted November 20th 2009 in Bonding, LGA, News, State budget
Must-read article for cities considering Facebook
Many local units of government are bolstering their communication efforts by turning to online social media tools, such as Facebook. With Facebook, cities can easily reach a targeted audience and broadcast quick updates on city events, meetings, rule implementations, and more. Before jumping on the Facebook bandwagon, though, there are several important considerations that city officials [...]
Mayors launch effort to hold gov candidates’ ‘feet to the fire’ on city funding
Saying that the next governor will determine the fate of cities across the state, mayors announced at a State Capitol press conference that they are turning their attention to the 2010 governor’s race and will be traveling the state to call on candidates to address local government aid (LGA).
CGMC launching issue ad today!
Stay tuned for CGMC’s LGA issue ad, which will be released this afternoon. The ad aims to cement LGA as a top-tier issue in the upcoming election and urges voters to ask candidates about their position on LGA. Visit www.ThankLGA.org later today to view the ad!
