John McLaughlin has owned his St. Louis Park home since 1986, buying it from his mother after his father died. In that time, he and his wife have seen the seasons change in the stand of trees outside their dining room windows, and grown closer to the neighbors. They've also watched their property taxes rise 800 percent.

"It's become a real financial burden," McLaughlin said.

Added his wife, Barbara Nepper: "We are not going to be able to retire when we had planned."

Property taxes in communities across the state continue to climb to unaffordable heights -- an average of 70 percent since 2002, according to a study released Sunday by Minnesota 2020, a progressive think tank run by former DFL state Rep. Matt Entenza. The increase cannot be explained by inflation, swelling home values or local government spending, the study said; spending has actually fallen, when adjusted for inflation.

Entenza said the reason property taxes are reaching crisis heights is primarily because of the loss of local government aid from the state, driven by Gov. Tim Pawlenty's one-time pledge and continuing opposition to increasing state taxes. The loss of revenues from the state has forced school districts, cities and counties to turn to property taxpayers to pay more of the cost of services.

"The governor was able to claim he was holding the line on taxes, when in reality he was causing taxes to go up," Entenza said. The solution, he said, is for the state to resume its commitment to helping pay for essential services.

But Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung on Sunday questioned the commitment of Entenza and other Democrats to holding down property taxes.

"If Democrat legislators and left-wing think tanks are serious about holding down property tax increases, we invite them to support Governor Pawlenty's proposal to cap them," McClung said in an e-mail. "A property tax cap is an effective way to prevent local governments from jacking up property taxes and the governor has been calling for a cap for several years, but Democrats refuse to pass it."

The full report, including the property tax picture for Minnesota cities with populations exceeding 5,000, can be found at www.mn2020.org.

James Walsh • 651-298-1541