Dakota County was prepared for lean times months ago

Sometimes the noisy theater of politics and the quiet mechanics of government are totally out of sync. That seems to have been the case this week, at least for cities and counties in the southern metro area.

The drama of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's multibillion-dollar budget cuts was greeted with sighs in city halls and county courthouses south of the river.

"We knew this was coming," said Dakota County administrator Brandt Richardson.

In Prior Lake on Monday night, a day before the big press conference, the City Council was reminded that the anticipated cuts had been assumed, and dealt with, months earlier.

"This has been telegraphed for months," said Farmington's finance director, Robin Roland. "We're going forward at this point and we're prepared for it. The biggest thing in all of this, I think, is not to panic."

Many officials emphasized, however, that tougher times for budgets are on the horizon.

"There will be very hard decisions to make for 2010 and -- I suspect -- for 2011 also," Prior Lake City Council Member Steve Millar told colleagues Monday night. "The public needs to be on notice that this is happening."

Because the county's unions have agreed to pay cuts to save jobs, there shouldn't be any visible effect during the current budget year, he said. After that, "it could result in some significant changes in county services."

He hopes by early July to deliver an assessment to his County Board.

"If you if look at '08, '09, '10 collectively -- just in state program aid -- there's $3.1 million that's being 'unalloted,'" meaning taken away, he said. "There's no way we can reduce by $3.1 million without people seeing the effect of it."

Dakota County will maintain its hiring freeze -- about 100 positions are already vacant -- and tackle any further cuts during discussions about the 2010 budget. Cuts could be made to travel and training for staff, equipment purchases and building project.

Of the major forms of assistance to cities, wealthier suburbs do not get any so-called Local Government Aid (LGA) to start with. And not all of them count on another major source, the market value homestead credit.

Rosemount finance director Jeff May said the city anticipated losing its market value homestead credit and didn't include it in this year's budget. Like Dakota County, the city will look at any further cuts in the context of the 2010 budget.

"Most cities that are having to make cuts have already been addressing it, assuming they were going to lose it," May said. David Peterson • 952-882-9023