Personally, I would feel much better about the sacrifices that are going to be made in outstate Minnesota if the Governor would share with the citizens of Minnesota exactly what sacrifices his family faces in light of his efforts to put Minnesota on better financial footing. If that is too personal for the Governor to share, perhaps some one in his office would profile families with similar financial and demographic makeup to the Pawlenty family from the Governor's home city. How will class sizes be affected in his children's school? Will library hours continue or be shortened? How about after school programming? Enrichment progrms? Park Rec? How many police officers will be lost? How many firefighters/EMTs? Will the elderly and disabled parents and grandparents who need care profided in a skilled nursing facility have the same quality of services? Will they still be able to afford those services? I am truly interested.
Terri Hyle
From: "Gene Pelowski" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Winona] Forum Editorial on Tax Bill Date: Thu, 29 May 2003 12:04:53 -0500
[Winona Online Democracy]
FYI Rep. Gene Pelowski
Forum editorial: 'Frosting on cow manure''Frosting on cow manure'
The Forum - 05/29/2003
Sen. Keith Langseth, DFL-Glyndon, Minn., was quoted this week as saying the final state budget deal is little more than "frosting on cow manure."
Nice turn of phrase.
While Langseth's assessment might be a tad harsh, his comment does describe the deep cuts in local aid payments that passed the House by a narrow margin. Despite pleas from rural Democrats (and a few Republicans) the proposal favored by Gov. Tim Pawlenty appears to be on its way to his desk.
The cuts will hurt rural Minnesota cities. Border cities, including Moorhead, will be hurt. Basic services that are routine functions of local government will be eroded.
The blow to out-state cities is unfair on several levels. First, the purpose of local government aid is being undermined. The idea was to use the state's resources to fund basic services in property-poor localities. Now people are going to be punished based on where they live. The legislative majority has rejected Minnesota' ;s long-standing commitment to equity.
Second, the cuts in aid will require either significant erosion of public services -- roads, police, economic development efforts, etc. -- or an increase in property taxes. In other words, the governor's adherence to a no-new-taxes pledge will, in effect, result in "new" taxes on the local level. The tax burden will shift, and shift unevenly. Property-rich suburban cities, for example, will not be affected by cuts in local government aid.
Finally, the political spinning of the local government aid package is disappointing. Key Republicans in the House fell into line like so many sheep. Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, a former mayor who was viewed as an effective champion for out-state cities, called the House vote "the best possible outcome." Rep. Bud Nornes, R-Fergus Falls, concluded: "It's far better than what the governor had."
Maybe so, but "better" than the governor's pl an is not good for Moorhead or Fergus Falls.
Moorhead will take a nearly 17 percent cut in aid, which translates into a $2.7 million loss in state aid over two years. That means employee layoffs and a decline in the quality of city services. And even if the city levied higher taxes to the limit imposed by the state, only $730,000 would be raised -- far less than the state aid shortfall. It would cost the owner of a $100,000 home an additional $79.
Fergus Falls will see a cut of slightly more than 18 percent. The service dislocations would be similar to Moorhead's. Dilworth's loss will be nearly 21 percent. (Rep. Paul Marquart, DFL-Dilworth, former mayor, fought hard against the cuts.) Detroit Lakes will have to deal with a loss of nearly 24 percent of state aid. Barnesville will lose nearly 13 percent. Breckenridge city officials will have to find a way to deal with a cut of nearly 16 percent.
No matter how the governor and his allies in the Legislature try t o pretty up the local aid bill, Sen. Langseth's description seems apt. The unfair treatment of out-state Minnesota cities is little more than "frosting on cow manure."
Forum editorials represent the opinion of Forum management and the newspaper's Editorial Board
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