Alexandria Mayor H. Dan Ness and Moorhead Mayor Mark Voxland collaborated on an op-ed piece featured in today’s Alexandria Echo Press. The city leaders point to the upcoming governor’s race as pivotal in defining the future of LGA:

As the election season looms, we are calling on all Minnesotans—Democrats, Republicans and Independents—to meet the candidates, ask them what their plans are for LGA, and how they intend to keep property taxes low and fund police, fire, streets and core services.

The next four years will be a critical time for rural communities across the state. It very well might be the season that determines our fate. We hope that Minnesotans ask questions and demand answers from the candidates as this important decision nears.

Read the full op-ed here.

News reports from across the state are echoing the same theme: cities continue to make difficult decisions as they budget with fewer LGA dollars. In many cases, these decisions will have a lasting impact on the strength and affordability of Minnesota’s communities. Below are just a few snapshots of what LGA cuts look like.

According to the Pioneer Press, metro area libraries are feeling the sting of state aid cuts. Because most libraries are funded through city revenue streams, the loss of LGA over the past decade has dried up library resources. While most libraries across the state have reduced hours, book-buying budgets, and employee costs, some small metro libraries may consolidate with those in nearby larger cities or are already shrinking in size to accommodate sharing space with other city programs, such as recreation centers. These service reductions come during a time when many libraries are reporting their largest usership rates. Continue reading »

With Governor Pawlenty signing the legislature’s supplemental budget bill into law last week, cities across the state are engaging in budget cutting discussions now that they have a clearer sense of their state aid reductions. Under the bill, LGA  and the Market Value Homestead Credit will be cut by $52.5 million in 2010 and $56.5 million in 2011. This is a vast improvement on the governor’s original budget proposal, which would have cut these programs by $125 million in 2010 and $252 million in 2011.

It’s difficult to imagine the consequences of the governor’s proposal on Minnesota’s communities considering that the legislature’s smaller cuts will still have a significant impact on essential city services and the affordability of being a city resident. Years of repeated cuts to LGA have left cities with few budget-cutting options to choose from—reserves are drained, hiring freezes are in place, capital equipment and improvements have been delayed. Below are just a few examples gathered since the budget bill signing of how cities are adjusting their 2010 budgets in the wake of these most recent cuts. Continue reading »