Tim Included this in the description of the Role of a School Board Member >Financial Responsibilities --------------------------
>Recent changes in state law have shifted the bulk of local >education funding >from property taxes to state generated revenue. >However, state law still >empowers school boards to raise >revenue to run the district by assessing >property taxes on >commercial/industrial and residential properties within the >district. What this doesn't say, is that Cities can make decisions (without talking with School Boards or County Boards) to remove large Commercial properties that generate big chunks of taxes from the tax base. Tax Increment Financing or TIF can take large commercial properties out of the tax base for up to 20 years. That shifts the tax burden for schools to existing commercial properties and residential owners. And then existing commercial properties may end up paying the subsidy for their competitiors. It really isn't a fair way of doing business. But big businesses love it. Of course, it's killing the schools and making the residential taxpayers mad as heck. The School Boards have absolutely NO control over this shift in the tax base. Cities do. Of course, it effects the counties, too. The counties need to cut back in prevention services for human services ( that's why there are more homeless folks, more mentally ill having problems, more kids needing emergency shelters, more need for hospitalizations, more need for crimnal justice, etc.) because they have less money to spend. Businesses are getting their subsidies and they are being hidden in the state budget so no one knows how much they actually receive each year. Cities and businesses love TIF. But TIF is costly to School Districts, Counties, and taxpayers. Ren�e Jenson Como _____________________________________________ To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
