Minutes - Council - 12/01/2003 - Truth in Taxation

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December 2, 2002 To: Tom Gamec, Mayor Susuan Anderson, Councilperson Terry Hendriksen " Patti Kurak " Gerald Zimmerman " City of Ramsey 15153 Nowthen Blvd NW Ramsey, MN 55303 Re: City of Ramsey proposed property tax for 2003 general levy and for the Mississippi storm water drainage District No. 1 Adding the above storm water drainage tax to the City of Ramsey's general levy impose's an unreasonable tax burden on our property. It increases the City of Ramsey's general tax capacity rate from 38.846% to a total tax capacity rate on our property of 107.930%, almost 108%. With this storm sewer drainage tax added to the city's general levy, it makes the tax just for the City of Ramsey's portion more than all the other tax enities combined, including the county and the school district. In fact the city's portion of our real estate tax is 277 % times the county's tax. This is an unrealistic and unreasonable tax by the City of Ramsey on our property. It is bad enough that we are being taxed for a storm sewer outlet pipe On our property that will do us no good. IE: We don't have any storm water that will drain into it. But add this to the fact that we are being taxed for a storm sewer pipe to drain the city of Ramsey's 140 acre business park, because as unbelieveable as it may seem the city's engineers failed to provide an outlet for the final storm sewer pond for the city's own busineess park, and you have a very unethical and unjust tactic by .the city to tax us and a few other property owners to pay for the storm water drainage from their Business Park. The city's argument has been "you don't need the drainage now, but if you sell your property and it is developed then it will need drainage". However, with the city now in favor of MN DOTS proposal to move Hwy 10 to a six lane freeway across our property by the railroad tracks, who will buy it? No one will buy it, thats who. Therefore because there will be no market for the future developement of our property due to the city's favorable position to MN DOT'S proposal to locate Hwy 10 on it, a storm sewer pipe will never be needed to drain our property.