>The park and library boards themselves have no direct responsibility (as I
>understand it) for the financial health of the city overall. It seems to me
>that some entity needs to be the stop gap - monitoring when spending is out
>of line with the city's ability to raise revenue.
There is such an entity -- the little known Minneapolis Board of
Estimate & Taxation. They are the ones with the legal authority to set the
final tax levy for Minneapolis, and then the Council, the Library, & Parks
all have to live within that limit.
Of the 7 votes on this board, the Council has 2 votes, the Mayor
has one, and the Library & Parks each have 1 vote. The remaining 2 votes
are the elected public members of this board: Gordon Nelson and Wally
Swan. They are likely to be the deciding votes on this, given that most of
the others have made their feelings clear already. And that's probably the
way it should be; that's why we elect some members of this board directly,
unconnected to the Mayor, Council, Library, or Parks.
The Board of Estimate & Taxation is likely to hear these proposed
levy limits at their July meeting, schedule some public hearings in August,
and make the decision in September. All the public proposals & discussion
happening on this right now are basically maneuvers setting the stage for
that decision. The Mayor & City Council are staking out their position,
and the Library & Park Boards are making their responses. And meanwhile,
all of us citizens are making our voices heard, too. Personally,
I'm glad -- I think this public discussion of City Finances is long overdue.
Tim Bonham, Ward 12, Standish-Ericsson
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