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exempt non -profits from paying for user <br />fees and service charges that help fund <br />services these organizations use. <br />FF-24. Fire Service Taxing Districts <br />Issue: Fire service districts have the <br />potential to reduce duplication of equipment <br />purchases and services, and to improve <br />uniformity of service delivery throughout a <br />region. One obstacle to establishing fire <br />service districts is the absence of statutory <br />authority to establish fire taxing districts. <br />The Legislature has granted authority for <br />special taxing districts to provide services <br />such as watershed management and <br />emergency medical services. In spite of <br />growing funding and staffing challenges, <br />this authority does not currently exist for <br />providing fire protection services. <br />Response: The League of Minnesota <br />Cities recognizes that some regions of the <br />state could sustain or improve fire <br />protection services if fire taxing districts <br />were authorized. The League supports <br />authority for local units of government to <br />establish fire service taxing districts <br />provided that 1) participation in a district <br />is a local decision, and 2) fire taxing <br />districts must be governed by elected <br />officials representing the participating <br />entities. <br />FF-25. Housing Improvement <br />Areas and Special Service Districts <br />Petitioned by Business <br />Issue: In 1996, cities were granted general <br />authority under Minn Stat. § § 428A.11-.21 <br />to use Housing Improvement Areas (HIAs) <br />in order to finance housing improvements <br />for condominium and townhome complexes. <br />Several cities around the state have used this <br />tool, and found it to be a useful mechanism <br />for maintaining older association homes. <br />The 2013 Legislature also granted HIA <br />authority to a county Community <br />Development Authority (CDA). As part of <br />that authority, the CDA is required to gather <br />local approval before creating an HIA. <br />In 1996, the Legislature also gave cities the <br />general authority to create Special Service <br />Districts (SSDs) under Minn. Stat. <br />§§ 428A.01-.101. Cities around the state <br />have used this tool to provide an increased <br />level of service to commercial or industrial <br />areas, commonly in areas of retail <br />concentration. SSDs are established at the <br />request of local businesses, who ultimately <br />pay for and benefit from the increased level <br />of service. A SSD may be established <br />anywhere in a city but only business <br />property (i.e. commercial, industrial, utility, <br />or land zoned for commercial or industrial <br />use) will be subject to the service charge. <br />Some special services have included street <br />and sidewalk cleaning, snow and ice <br />removal, lighting, signage, parking, parking <br />enforcement, marketing and promotion, <br />landscaping, and security. A SSD may be <br />established only by petition and the city <br />adopts an ordinance to establish it. Minn. <br />Stat. §§ 428A.09-10 establishes procedures <br />for the business owners in the SSD to veto <br />or end the SSD. The 2013 legislature <br />extended the sunset for both tools for 15 <br />years, making it set to expire on June 30, <br />2028. In 2017, the House considered <br />legislation that was ultimately unsuccessful <br />to repeal the general SSD authority for <br />cities. There are currently over 15 cities that <br />have established SSDs around the state. <br />As cities work to develop and/or redevelop <br />commercial, industrial, and residential areas, <br />new ways of paying for and providing <br />increased levels of service should be <br />available to local entities. Use of Special <br />Service Districts in mixed -use development <br />is one tool that could be available for this <br />purpose. <br />League of Minnesota Cities <br />2018 City Policies Page 116 <br />