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Municipal Revenue & Taxation <br />is currently required. <br />1-E Local Government Aid (LGA) <br />Metro Cities supports Local Government Aid (LGA) as a means of ensuring that <br />communities remain affordable places to live and work while meeting the basic public <br />service demands of residents and businesses. Metro Cities' policies also recognize that the <br />state's prosperity and vitality depend significantly upon the strength of the metropolitan <br />region. <br />Metro Cities supported the 2013 modifications to the LGA program to help better address <br />the needs of cities across the state, and of metro cities in their support of the state's <br />economic growth. <br />To ensure an adequate appropriation level for the program, Metro Cities supports <br />increasing the LGA appropriation to address cities' unmet need as defined by the LGA <br />formula as well as increases in the LGA appropriation to account for inflation. By way <br />of reference, the total need identified in the LGA formula for 2018 is estimated at $814.6 <br />million, whereas the current funding is set at $534.4 million, putting the remaining need at <br />$280.2 million. <br />Metro Cities supports formula -based allocations for increases to the LGA appropriation. <br />Metro Cities strongly opposes freezes of the LGA appropriation, or reductions of LGA <br />for balancing state budget deficits. Metro Cities also opposes artificial limits or <br />reductions that single out specific communities. Metro Cities further opposes using LGA <br />as financial leverage to influence particular activities and policy decisions at the local <br />level. <br />1-F State Property Tax Relief Programs <br />Metro Cities supports state funded property tax relief programs paid directly to <br />homestead property taxpayers such as the circuit breaker and enhanced targeting for <br />special circumstances and supported the 2013 legislative expansion of these programs. <br />Metro Cities also supports the state renter's credit program. Metro Cities supports an <br />analysis of the state's property tax relief programs to determine their effectiveness and <br />equity in providing property tax relief to individuals and families across the state. <br />Metro Cities supports efforts by the MN Department of Revenue to expand outreach and <br />notification efforts about state property tax relief programs to homeowners, and <br />notification of these programs to local units of government to help increase these efforts. <br />Metro Cities also supports legislative modifications to these programs that make tax <br />relief payments to taxpayers automatic. <br />2018 Legislative Policies <br />3 <br />