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<br />Finance Officer Lund recommended that Mr. Amundson contact the school district regarding that <br />levy. <br /> <br />Winslow Holasek, commercial property owner, inquired if the NAU building was in a TIF <br />district. <br /> <br />Finance Officer Lund replied no. She explained that the NAU building was purchased utilizing <br />RALF funds. <br /> <br />Mr. Holasek inquired if the City still has a lot ofTIF properties. <br /> <br />Finance Officer Lund noted that no new TIF districts have been created lately. Noting that <br />District 6 was just removed from being a TIF district in 2006. <br /> <br />City Administrator Norman noted that the two biggest districts were 25-year districts that came <br />on in the 1980s. <br /> <br />Mr. Holasek inquired ifTIF funds could be used to pay for City services. <br /> <br />Finance Officer Lund replied no. She gave a brief review on how TIF funds are used. She noted <br />that they could be used to build things such as a new water tower or street improvements. <br /> <br />Mr. Holasek inquired as to why when City staff provides comparisons to what other cities are <br />doing with their taxes they don't use communities that are close to them. <br /> <br />Finance Officer Lund explained that in order to have an accurate comparison you have to <br />compare communities that are comparable in size. <br /> <br />Mr. Holasek reviewed the tax rate of other surrounding communities. He stated that taxes are <br />direct result of expenditures. If valuations hadn't gone up the tax rate would have been a lot <br />higher. In his particular case because his property is in the Mississippi taxing district his tax rate <br />is 88.815%, which is a 419% increase. The majority of that increase is because of the City of <br />Ramsey. He stated that he is being required to pay for sewer pipe that benefits others, which he <br />feels is a gross injustice. <br /> <br />Mayor Gamec replied that the issue relating to the Mississippi taxing district is a decision that <br />was made some time ago. In order to build some commercial buildings along Highway 10 they <br />had to take care of drainage and that will not change. <br /> <br />Mr. Holasek stated that he has been taxed for six years on this and now there is talk of extending <br />it another three years beyond the initial 10 years. <br /> <br />Mayor Gamec replied that if Mr. Holasek wanted to bring in all the business owners that are in <br />that special taxing district they could discuss that issue. That is an issue they cannot change <br />because he personally was not willing to tax all of the other residents in Ramsey for their water <br />problems. <br /> <br />City Council Truth in Taxation/December 4, 2006 <br />Page 6 of9 <br />