City officials gathered in St. Paul this week for the annual League of Minnesota Cities conference. Forum Communications report Don Davis was on hand to ask leaders from across the recent LGA cuts would affect their service delivery efforts and impact property taxpayers.

Many cities noted that while the 2009 cuts may be managed through mostly unnoticeable spending cuts, the deeper 2010 cuts will do more damage. Moorhead will consider reducing its public safety budget and talk about raising property taxes. The Willmar Fire Department is down eight firefighters since only six positions were hired back after 14 retirements. Hawley plans to reduce library and community center hours, and also will put off its plan to hire a fourth cop for its 24/7 patrol.

These are just a few examples from around the state. Many cities will similarly have to reduce their workforce (including public safety personnel), shorten hours at public facilities, and increase property taxes. If you believe that cutting LGA severely weakens Minnesota’s cities, contact your legislators today, and tell them that it’s time for the state reaffirmed its commitment to the LGA program.

Today’s Star Tribune reports that more Twin Cities public beaches will be telling swimmers to enter the water at their own risk. That’s because several cities have eliminated their summer lifeguard positions due to city aid cuts. While it may seem like a low-impact cost-saving measure, cutting lifeguards clearly shows that city aid programs like LGA help fund the basic services that keep cities safe and attractive places to live, and when the aid is gone, so are the services.

The state created the LGA program to ensure that we all have access to similar services—including lifeguards, police, and safe roads in the winter—at an affordable price. If you believe Minnesota communities should be affordable no matter what corner of the state we live in, contact your legislators and tell them to protect LGA in the 2010 session.

Minnesotans need to prepare for significant property tax increases and major cuts to public safety, libraries, parks, and other city services, mayors said in response to the announcement that Governor Tim Pawlenty will unallot $192 million of funding to Minnesota cities.

“Minnesota communities were critically hurt today by the governor’s action, and nearly every Minnesotan will personally be affected. It could be in the form of no cop in their kid’s school, higher property taxes, or a local library that is no longer open,” said St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman. “Many Minnesotans will think in the coming year that this is not the state they knew, or the state they want it to be.”

Over the past six years, Minnesota cities have lost $750 million in local government aid, and as a result property taxes have increased over 65% statewide. This increase in property taxes, however, has fallen short of replacing the lost aid, so essential city services have also been cut back.

“The effects of cutting aid from Minnesota communities are as predictable as a Minnesota winter-every year we see higher property taxes and cuts to critical services,” said Wadena Mayor Wayne Wolden, who is also president of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities.

Responding to the governor’s constant calls for cities to do more with less, the mayors shot back citing evidence that cities have been more fiscally conservative than the state over the past six years. While funding for state programs has actually increased 3.2% since 2002, the revenues available for local spending have decreased 13.7%. Furthermore, cities shrunk their workforce by 6% between 2003 and 2008, while the state’s workforce ballooned by 10% in the same period.

“Minnesotans see right through this blame game and will hold state lawmakers responsible for the community cuts and property tax increases that emerge from the governor’s actions,” Wolden said. “The governor’s cuts are wrong, and it’s time for state leaders-both Republicans and Democrats-to put their residents first and prioritize funding for safe, affordable communities. They need to speak out against the governor’s cuts now.”

As Governor Pawlenty sharpens the unallotment knife, newspapers reported over the weekend how several cities plan to deal with cuts to LGA and other city aid programs:

Star Tribune columnist Jon Tevlin features South St. Paul in his discussion of LGA cuts and the gradual weakening of the governor’s hometown:

While Pawlenty has criticized city officials who have complained that budget cuts force reductions in public safety, King says it’s already happened in South St. Paul. The city budgeted two new police hires for 2009 to help deal with increased gang activity and property crime. The unallotments caused the city to cancel the hires.

“Every department has been economizing as much as we can,” [South St. Paul City Administrator Stephen] King said. “[South St. Paul] is a nice place; we should have a brighter future than we do.”

The Pioneer Press explains how state aid cuts have impacted Cottage Grove’s bottom line:

Anticipating cuts in state aid, the city sliced $900,000 from its 2009 budget in February. City staffing levels are down 9 percent since 2006, largely because the city eliminated its emergency dispatch office and merged with Washington County.

That eliminated five positions, and the city has cut another 4.5 positions in other areas since 2006, according to Schroeder.

Schroeder said the budget for public safety—including the police and fire departments—has dropped 8 percent since 2005 to $5.4 million.

And in the Mankato Free Press, city leaders call on their Republican lawmakers to speak up for their residents and ask the governor to minimize his cuts to LGA:

With smaller outstate cities facing extremely difficult budget choices if Pawlenty cuts aid deeply, [Mankato City Manager Pat] Hentges is hopeful that Republican lawmakers might influence the governor to ease up.

“Marty Seifert and Bob Gunther and Julie Rosen and Tony Cornish, I think they should be concerned if the governor is disproportionately focusing his cuts on LGA and the cities they represent,” Hentges said, listing veteran Republican lawmakers from southern Minnesota.

24/7 police coverage may have to be discontinued. Libraries may have to stop buying books or close their doors early. And the city beach may have to do without lifeguards.

These are all alternatives the City of Glenwood is considering in light of the governor’s unallotment of LGA, according to the Pope County Tribune. Glenwood stands to lose $87,000 in 2009 and $97,000 in 2010 under the governor’s original proposal, on top of the $70,000 cut the governor unalloted in December—and for a city of just under 3,000 people, losing this amount of LGA means a lot. To prepare for these cuts, the city has already reduced overtime hours, will likely require pay freezes and reduced working hours for 2010 and 2011, and is considering moving to a four-day work week. These cost-saving measures will not be enough to recover from the LGA cuts, though, and Glenwood will likely still have to reduce services that residents depend on.

LGA is what keeps communities across the state safe, affordable, and viable places to live and do business. If you value strong communities statewide, contact the governor today and tell him to minimize his cuts to LGA.

What’s a Fourth of July celebration without fireworks? Some Minnesota city residents might find out this summer. According to the Mankato Free Press, the City of Mankato will be unable to afford its usual $5,000 contribution to the annual fireworks display or the $7,000 expenditure on police officers and traffic control for the event. With local budgets shrinking as a result of cuts to LGA, city officials are making the tough choices needed in order to keep their budgets in line. If you think these service cuts have gone too far, contact the governor today, and tell him to protect LGA.

You can find more analysis on this situation from Minnesota 2020 here.

The Mankato Free Press is reporting today that area schools may lose their last two remaining police liaison officers as a result of LGA and school funding cuts. The program, which provided four police officers to district schools 15 years ago, is now down to only two officers. After one of these officers retires this year, the program will be down to one officer; the city and school district do not have the funding necessary to replace his position. Questioning the effectiveness of one police officer serving an entire school district, the city and school district are considering eliminating the program entirely.

Cities across the state will be faced with similar difficult decisions under Governor Pawlenty’s proposed cuts to LGA. If you believe that all school children—no matter what corner of the state they live in—deserve a safe learning environment and police presence within schools, contact the governor today and ask him to reduce his cuts to LGA.

Alexandria Mayor H. Dan Ness, a Republican, penned a guest column in today’s Star Tribune that calls on the governor to protect LGA if he is serious about protecting taxpayers:

To me and to the other Republican, Democratic and independent mayors who share my support of LGA, being a taxpayer watchdog means protecting our residents from paying exorbitant property taxes for the services all Minnesotans are entitled to, such as public safety, access to a regional airport, libraries and parks. (Star Tribune, 6/1/09)

Mayor Ness also dispels the myth that cities aren’t doing everything they can to shield residents from damaging service cuts or increases in property taxes:

…Cities shrank their workforces by 6 percent between 2003 and 2008, while the state’s workforce has ballooned by 10 percent in the same period. The loss of these jobs at the local level translates into lost services — fewer police on the street, less frequently plowed roads and delays in park maintenance. (Star Tribune, 6/1/09)

Similarly, funding for state programs has actually increased 3.2 percent since 2002, while the revenues available for local spending have decreased 13.7 percent. In a city’s daily operations, this drop in dollars has meant leaving police and fire positions vacant, reducing library hours, and closing city parks, in addition to other cost-saving measures. All of these efforts demonstrate that cities are willing and able to make the hard choices to control spending. (Star Tribune, 6/1/09)

Thank LGA applauds Mayor Ness for standing up for property taxpayers and LGA. If you care about your city services and the affordability of your community, contact the governor today and tell him to reduce his cuts to LGA.