Laserfiche WebLink
1) State required financial activity reports <br />(Minn. Stat. § 6.74); <br />m) Local improvement requirements (Minn. <br />Stat. § 429.031); <br />n) Development and permit fees report <br />(Minn. Stat. § 326B.145); <br />o) Utility annual financial statements <br />(Minn. Stat. § 412.381); <br />Housing and redevelopment authority <br />annual financial report (Minn. Stat. § <br />469.013); and <br />Federal single audit or a program - <br />specific audit (31 U.S.C.A. § 7502 <br />(a)(1)). <br />p) <br />q) <br />Response: Requirements for reporting <br />and advertising financial and budget <br />information should be carefully weighed <br />to balance the need for information with <br />the administrative costs of compiling and <br />submitting this information. In addition, <br />the legislature should direct all state <br />agencies to review existing local <br />government reporting mandates and <br />eliminate redundant or superfluous <br />requirements. To this point, the <br />legislature should consolidate municipal <br />government financial reporting <br />requirements in the Office of State <br />Auditor, include an electronic submission <br />alternative to any remaining paper filing <br />requirements and authorize the use of <br />web publication where newspaper <br />publication is currently required. Finally, <br />the legislature must not increase <br />reporting burdens for local units of <br />government. Any new reporting <br />requirement should have a clearly defined <br />statement of purpose and public need not <br />currently met with existing reports, a <br />sunset date to facilitate a future <br />discussion of the usefulness of the <br />requirement as well as full state funding <br />for the costs associated with a new <br />reporting mandate. <br />FF-7. Direct Property Tax Relief <br />Programs <br />Issue: In 2013, the legislature expanded the <br />homeowner property tax refund (PTR) <br />program and and renamed it the Homestead <br />Credit Refund program. As a direct taxpayer <br />relief program, the Homestead Credit <br />Refund avoids the problems with the former <br />Market Value Homestead Credit system <br />where the state provided a credit on the <br />homeowner's property tax statement but did <br />not always reimburse cities and counties for <br />the amount of the credit. <br />Response: The League of Minnesota <br />Cities supports providing additional <br />property tax relief directly to <br />homeowners through an expansion of the <br />Homestead Credit Refund program, the <br />targeting program or other programs <br />that provide property tax relief directly <br />from the state to taxpayers. In addition, <br />the League supports the 2013 legislation <br />that requires the Department of Revenue <br />to notify potentially eligible homeowners <br />of the program and would also support <br />legislative modifications to these <br />programs to eliminate the taxpayer filing <br />requirement thereby making the tax relief <br />payments automatic. <br />The League opposes property tax credit <br />programs that reimburse local units of <br />government for reduced tax burden such <br />as the former market value homestead <br />credit system due to the fact that the <br />reimbursements to local units of <br />government can be cut while the credit to <br />the taxpayer remains on the property tax <br />statement. In addition, the League <br />opposes reinstituting Limited Market <br />Value, a program that reduces the taxable <br />value of individual properties based on <br />assessor's valuation increase. Limited <br />Market Value creates inequities between <br />similar properties based solely on the <br />League of Minnesota Cities <br />2015 City Policies Page 97 <br />