Even as Gov. Tim Pawlenty threatens to unallot year-end local government aid to cities and city councils are giving final approval to stripped-down budgets this month, the League of Minnesota Cities is working on a campaign to help Joe and Joan Citizen better understand what's at stake.

League officials hope to translate an exhibit that debuted at the Minnesota State Fair into a traveling program to give audiences across the state a better appreciation for the services local governments provide.

As part of the State Fair exhibit, fairgoers were given six beans (aka dollars) and were asked to choose which of eight core services to fund.

"Part of the problem is that city officials are very responsible with how they cut because they don't want to have cuts impact the things people rely on the most," said the league's communications director, Mary-Margaret Zindren. "If that's how you operate, you're not going to see whole streets where potholes aren't filled or all the branches of the library closed down."

For now, the exhibit is set up at league offices in St. Paul, and the curious can check out the website at www.citiesmatter.org to learn about the services cities provide, such as clean tap water and sanitary sewers, transit, waste removal, parks, libraries and public safety. A blog at mncitiesmatter.blogspot.com offers more in-depth coverage of city issues.

"We are trying to raise awareness of the depth and breadth of what cities do and raise awareness of the tough choices cities have to make," Zindren said of the exhibit. "It was great to see how seriously people took that challenge and how kids and parents and senior citizens all stood there and said, 'I don't know what I'd give up. Do I really have to give up sewers for senior services?'"

Of course, the real-life choices aren't quite that stark, but cities can cut around the edges for only so long, she said.

The organizers also hope the campaign will help them reach into schools for future planners, politicians and city engineers at the local level.

Traditional civics education tends to focus on state and federal government, but "the government they get the most from every day and can relate to best in a tangible way is city government," Zindren said. "We're hoping that general awareness of what cities do and that connection to quality of life will spark something in students when they think about what they want to do."

And she wants both kids and adults to look across city borders to see how they also use services in neighboring cities.

"If you think about why LGA [local government aid] exists, it's meant to ensure that from one community to the next, there's a basic level of quality of life you can rely on, despite the tax capacity," she said.

"For us as the league, we represent the whole of the city community. We've worked hard over the years to build and maintain empathy from cities of different circumstances. There is a bit of a 'we're-all-in-it-together' feeling."

Maria Elena Baca • 612-673-4409