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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I MHFA Announces 1985 Municipal Program Ibc Minnesota ltousing Finance Agency (MHFA) has requested proposals from Minnesota communities for its 1985 Municipal itomc Mortgage Program. Through this Program, MltFA is committing a total of $20 million in 9.95%, 30-year fixed rate level payment, home mortgage financing. 'lhe Program is designed to assist communities wilh populations of 5,000 and above in meeting local housing goals. Individual communities may apply for up to $2 million in inortgage funds. Thc mortgage loans originated are required to meet the basic requirements of the M H FA Single Family Mortgage Loan Program. To apply, communities are required to supply information in a prescribed form regarding thc purpose and scope of the proposed Program, a needs analysis, and an analysis of the financial feasibility of the proposed Program. Selection priorily is given to communities which receive one or more "bonus points" deemed desirable by the MHFA Board. This is the third year. that MHFA has offered the Municipal Home Mortgage Program. Since July of 1983, a total of $21.8 million has been committed to 17 communities throughout thc state. Communities interested in participating in the Program should contact May Hutchinson at (612) 296-8840 for further information. Request for Public Review of LAWCON/LCMR Outdoor Recreation Facility Grant Criteria 3'he Community Development Division of the Minnesota Department of Energy and Economic Developmen.t admini- sters an outdoor recreation facility grant program commonly known as the LAWCON/LCMR program. The LAW- CON/LCMR acronym stands for the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund and the State Legislative Commis- sion on Minnesota Resources. Available to local units of government for the acquisiti6n and/or development of local parks, this 20 year old program has financed over 1,000 park projects across the state. Because the demand for the program exceeds available dollars, grant criteria and a detailed Open Project Selection Process must be developed and implemented. A vital component of the Open Project Selection Process is a provision which requires that the state's project scoring method be available to the general public for review and comment prior to implementation. Factors considered in the scoring of grant applications include previous grant management, conformance to local comprehen- sive plans, proper physical site characteristics, equal oppor- tunity and conformance with the findings of the state comprehensive outdoor recreation plan. If you are interested in receiving a draft copy of the LAWCON / LCM R preliminary application Open Project Selection Process scoring sheet, please call (612) 296-4703 or write to the address listed below. Minnesota Dept. of Energy and Economic Development Community Development Division Parks and Recreation Grants Section 9th Floor, American Center Building 150 East Kellogg Boulevard St, Paul, Minnesota 55101 To be considered, draft scoring sheet requests must be received by June 13, 1985. Department personnel will provide draft copies of the scoring sheet and then provide written response to all comments. Public review and comment could result in revisions in the Open Project Selection Process. 'l'he Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) also administers that portion of the LAWCON fund which is available for the acquisition/development of state parks, trails and forest recreation areas. The DNR must aho develop and implement an Open Project Selection Process, including a project scoring sheet. Consequently, if you would like to have the opportunity to comment on DNR's project ranking system call (612) 296-0565 or write to the address listed below. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Office of Planning P.O. Box l0 500 Lafayette Road St. Paul, Minnesota 55146 Employee' Checklist Available Business owners who hire an employee for the first time often face a new and bewildering array of state and federal laws and regulations governing the employment relationship. A new publication of the Small Business Assistance Office of the Minnesota Department of Energy and Economic Development is designed to assist employers in understanding these requirements. The publication, Checklist for Hiringan Employee, presgnts a step-by-step outline of the various federal and state requirements, including payroll taxes (FICA, FUTA, and state unemployment compensation), withholding and workers' compensation insurance. The publication covers such topics as whether an individual is an employee, where to obtain employer identification numbers, and when to withhold and pay employment taxes and file tax returns. It identifies forms to be used, wherethey may be obtained, and where and how often they are filed. Sources of additional information on each topic also are identified. The publication is available without charge from the Small Business Assistance Office of the Minnesota Depart- ment of Energy and Economic Development, 900 American Center Building, 150 East Kellogg Boulevard, St. Paul, MN 55 l01, (6 i 2) 296-3871; Minnesota Toll Free 1-800-652-9747. Research & Development Reprint Available The growth of the high-technology sector of Minnesota's economy has recently spurred considerable interest among small businesses in expanded research and development activities. Businesses which have lacked resources for such activity have, in the past, been prevented by antitru.st laws from engaging in .join R&D work with other firms. The Minnesota Department of Energy and Economic Develop- ment Small Business Assistance Office has available reprints of Charles Sehaffer's article "Even Little Companies Can" Which appeared in the April issue of Computer User. That article addresses the federal R&D pooling program which offers immunity from antitrust exposure for certain kinds of joint ventures. The article also compares the provisions of the pooling program with the provisions of the National Cooperative Research Act. Copies of the reprint are available free of charge from the Small Business Assistance Office, MN Dept. of Energy and Economic Development, 900 American Center, 150 East Kellogg Boulevard, St. Paul, MN 55101 or by calling (612) 296-3871.