In today’s issue of the Fargo-Moorhead Forum, the paper’s editorial board praises the city council for voting to rebuild a park shelter and repair a city-owned building that houses a local art museum. A livable city, the paper notes, is more than public safety and safe roads; support for quality-of-life services such as parks and the arts are what makes a city a community. For greater Minnesota cities, which tend to have smaller tax bases than their Twin Cities counterparts, funding these quality of life services without the support of LGA would be extremely difficult, if not impossible. To read the full editorial, click here.
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12Aug
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28Jun
On June 17, a tornado ripped through sections of Wadena, Ottertail and Polk counties in northwestern Minnesota and caused significant damage in the city of Wadena. Over twenty homes were declared total losses and both the Wadena-Deer Creek high school and the city’s community center were damaged beyond repair. In an interview with Star Tribune columnist Lori Sturdevant, Wadena Mayor Wayne Wolden credits the LGA program with ensuring that emergency services in both his community and neighboring communities were at-the-ready to respond to residents in need:
“Wadena is a poor community,” the mayor explained. Its 2008 median household income was $35,569, less than two-thirds the statewide median. “But for LGA, we couldn’t afford all the services you see here.”
He elaborated: It made a huge difference that dark Thursday afternoon that Wadena had adequate storm sirens. That it had trained professional police, fire and county sheriff personnel on the scene. That it had an emergency action plan drilled into first responders’ minds. That its neighboring communities had similar state-funded assets and could swing into action.
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25Jun
With summer now in full swing, many Minnesotans will be hitting the roads for cabin vacations, camping, and siteseeing (Minnesota is home to the largest ball of twine, after all). Some travelers, however, are starting to notice bumpier roads, less frequently maintained parks, and shorter hours at municipal pools. One observer traveling to Alexandria even felt compelled to inform the Alexandria Echo Press of the city’s disrepair:
From about where the hospital is located, all the way up and down Broadway, the road is in bad shape—holes, ruts, depressions, patches…It presents a very poor ‘entrance’ to the city for people coming here for the first time. From my point of view, there is simply no excuse for these conditions in a city that is constantly recognized for being one of the most dynamic in our state.
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13May
According to the Crookston Daily Times, the City of Crookston may have few options left when it comes to accounting for LGA cuts. Having made reductions across various departments and delayed capital improvements, the city may need to reduce staff, including two police officer positions. From the report:
“No one wanted to cut two police officers and save $115,000, but with talk like we’re hearing tonight, that’s probably moving up the ladder,” said committee chair Marlys Mjoen, from ward two…Capital expenditures have been minimal at best as a moratorium has been in place for more than a year. But Ward Four Council Member Wayne Melbye said holding the line on capital improvements will only help the bottom line so much. “Sooner or later it’s going to be positions,” he said. Continue reading »
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19Apr
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 »
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10Feb
The Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities recently surveyed its members to learn how LGA unallotments are impacting their 2010 budgets. To find the new city stories, click here, or simply click the “City Stories” link at the top of the page.
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05Feb
Bemidji Mayor Richard Lehmann responded to comments Governor Tim Pawlenty made last week on his radio show about the city and its LGA funding. To read the full column, click here. Here’s just a taste:
In Bemidji, we’re proud of the way we have planned for hard times like these. But make no mistake: Cuts to LGA mean cuts to essential city services and increases in property taxes. Bemidji now joins the growing legion of rural cities “featured” on the governor’s radio show — a list that includes Albert Lea, Wadena and Mankato, among others — that he apparently feels he can run better than the local residents do.
Rather than dispense his budgeting critiques from an isolated recording studio in St. Paul, I invite Gov. Pawlenty to sit down with me and my statewide counterparts to have a constructive conversation on the future he envisions for greater Minnesota. Dialogue is a two-way street, and when the governor is ready to learn about the consequences of his policy decisions, the city of Bemidji will be here.
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01Dec
Finalizing their 2010 budgets over the next few weeks, cities across the state are making t0ugh decisions about what services to cut in light of state aid losses. The City of Mankato, which is staring down a $1.5 million cut in state aid for 2010, recently announced that it will cut its snow removal budget by keeping overtime hours to a minimum and restructuring plowing policies, such as plowing main roads before residential roads and plowing only two lanes of major four-lane roads. In some cases, snow plows may only pass residential roads once, and snow emergencies—which can close certain roads altogether—will be called more often. The city decided to implement these cuts as a way to keep property tax increases to a minimum. Learn more about cuts to snow removal budgets in the video below: