House, Senate release proposed bonding bills

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, [...]

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.

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.

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.

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.

‘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.