Agenda - Council - 09/08/1992 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I I August 31, !992~ CITY OF S.~kINT PAUL OFFICE OF ~ crrY COUNCm ~n.~'~i ............ I I I I I I Dear Mayor: As a local etected official responsible for delivering essential services to your constituents, ~ a~t.,..~ on the property, tax relief funds I am sure You a~ · concerned about the continuing in the Loc. all Golernment Trust Fund. These attacks threaten to force local governments to either dr~ti~lly cut services or dramatically increase property taxes. If your constituents are anything lik~ mine you will agree that neither of these options will be acceptable. We need to act now to protect the Local Government Trust Fund from the reductions or elimination that ~ be proposed in the 1993 legislative session- The most effective way to do this is thrCu~ a constitutional amendment dedicating 2 cents of the sales t_,ax to property tax relief. Thes,~ funds would be used to create a new Property Tm-payers Trust Fund which would gum-_ antee that the property tax relief funds originally sent to the Local Government Tnist Fund would be used for property tax relief as was or/ginalty promised by the Govelmori and the Legislature. With the 1992 legislative cmrnpaigns gett~mg into full swing and c ,a~did~ates from both parties looldng for support, this is the year to get legislative commitme~~ fo/' a Constitutional Amendment. I I I I I I I am enclos~g ar s~mple resolution slmTlar tO one passed recently by the S~i,~t Paul City Council and se~ era] other city councils around the state. The resolution calls for a Constitution~ A nendment dedicating funding to a new Propers~ Taxpayers' Trust Fund and requesting ~ the league of MSnnesota Cities to make such an Amendment one of their pr/or/ties in 1993, I am asldng that your City Council consider passing a similar Resolution dinting, the ;acx-t r~onth so that we can begin talidng w/th legislators, in addition to sending a copy of your R ~.solution to the League, please also send me a cop3' so we can keep track of wkich cities haVe acted. Cities need a sta~ le source of revenue not dependent on the property tax and not subject to the politic, al d{bate between the Governor and the Legislature that seems to go on every year. Now that ~e sales tax has been raised to 6 1/2 percent and that sales tax is now applied to lbcali government purchases ail in the name of saving property tax relief programs, w~ m~t act to ensure that such property tax relief does in fact come to property taxpayers from al new Property Tax'payers' Trust Fund. C~"'~. FALL S EVEN~rI-I FLOOR SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA 55102 l%-i~t~d on Rear. ~cd 61Z/298-4473