When analyzing city property taxes, keep your eyes on the result

Last week, a Star Tribune editorial (Nov. 20) urged readers to "speak up" about property taxes, so I am doing just that. I am speaking up to say that the Star Tribune and the unnamed legislators referenced in the editorial are on the wrong track in how to think about property taxes and local government aid (LGA) and about how truly destructive the last 10 years of state budget policy have been for Minnesota communities, especially communities like mine in Greater Minnesota.

The money that Gov. Mark Dayton and the Legislature brought to cities during the 2013 session did exactly what it was designed to do. It allowed cities to hold the line on property taxes (or in some cases reduce them) and restore critical services that had fallen victim to years of drastic cutbacks.

A look into the past will give us a little perspective on the 2 percent preliminary levy increase:

• Even if we assume that cities don't drop their preliminary levies at all before setting their final 2014 levies, the statewide average property tax increase of 2.1 percent would be the third-lowest increase in the past 25 years.

• Even more, 2.1 percent is less than half of the annual average increase (5.3 percent) that cities experienced over the past 10 years.

What does this tell us? That even if levy reduction were the only goal, state policy is working. However, this is where a fixation on whether the final levy is a net 1 percent decrease or a net 1 percent increase is misplaced.

Any city leader can rattle off a lengthy list of infrastructure projects delayed, positions eliminated or forced to remain vacant, purchases deferred, wages frozen, and services reduced in the last decade. The 2013 session provided cities a chance to restore and catch up on some of those needs, if only a little bit:

• In Windom, which is holding its levy flat, LGA is making it possible for the city to buy a new fire rescue truck to replace one that is more than 20 years old and to partner with the school district to provide a school resource officer.

• In Winsted, where the levy is also being held flat, the city is finally able to provide a modest wage increase to employees after years of no increases. The city is also expanding its library and paying for engineering costs related to upgrading and replacing mechanical items at its wastewater treatment facility. This is possible because of the investment the state made in LGA.

Similar stories of property tax restraint and community reinvestment are happening in almost every city in Minnesota.

The Star Tribune is correct to acknowledge that Dayton and the majority in the Legislature put themselves "at political risk" for the sake of local governments. That is true, and local leaders of every political persuasion are grateful for their courage and faith in us. I urge those legislators and policymakers to take pride in the accomplishments of the last legislative session and to start planning how to use the upcoming session to capitalize on the gains that were made.

In the case of the preliminary local government levy numbers, the focus should not be on whether the total levy experiences a slight increase or decrease. Rather, it should be on how cities are using their money to benefit their residents. Are communities safer because an extra cop is on the beat or a reliable snowplow is ready to go for the next blizzard? Do we have better infrastructure to support business growth? Are we treating our city employees fairly by approving a small wage increase?