I heard somewhere the MN businesses actually pay more in property taxes than they do in income taxes. You can hide income by investing in your company by hiring workers but if you invest in your house your property taxes go up.

While our part time Governor Pawlenty was out trying to build an image of an anti-tax crusader for the 2012 election my property taxes went up 150% and are scheduled to go up another 16% this year.

Fish, I’ve a great idea for the MN Democratic Senators opposed to any bills they disagree with.
Whenever any Senators the likes of Gazelka propose a bill to do as you suggest, they can all head east and cross the St. Croix River.

Jeff

It would be nice if some of the social workers (state and county) would do more than rubber stamp assistance applications. The amount of fraud that goes on in CWC is insane. Investigating some of these people that collect govt. checks would create jobs and also to some extent eliminate welfare fraud (is it called welfare anymore or does that term hurt peoples feelings). The only real downside is that it would create govt. jobs.

"is it called welfare anymore or does that term hurt peoples feelings"

It's now called "Democratic Voter Assistance"

t-paw did not raise property taxes,our great local leaders did! the last increase was wards folly-15% for 13 years for teacher retirement! pequot just voted to raise property taxes! brainerd 181 is talking a new referendum this fall! they all add up-at least the county has held taxes level for their share! amen on a annual welfare review & the staff in already on the payroll!

Moonhawk, well said. Fish, I've never commented on posts you've made in the past but have read them and am accutely aware that you are an emotional person, with emotional rationalizations. You remind me of the obscure, anonymous facebook bloggers (I recognize that I'm being anonymous as well, but aren't we all?) who like to post articles ranging from new world order, anti-Israel, anti-Muslim, birthers, truthers, unions, etc. who do so in an attempt to scare those who haven't already hidden their posts. Those from all sides of the political spectrum do this. It's easy to get caught up in that emotional trap.

My attempts here are simply to be informative, and Fish, I must inform you, you are wrong. I don't understand why you accuse Gazelka of wanting to raise property taxes. Look on the Senate website sometime. The bills that relate to property taxes that he has authored (only 1, Senate File 244) extend the amount of time that a city under population 20,000 would be required to pay property taxes on vacant lots, ie if a city owns a piece of property that isn't being used and therefore isn't generating revenue, and the city, because of the recession, is already cash strapped, the amount of time they would be required to pay property taxes is extended. This helps to ease their budget constraints and redirect monies that would have been paid in property taxes.

However, his 12A House member has authored a bill (House File 156, A bill for an act relating to school district referendum market value tax base alteration), having read public Minnesota legislative analysis personally it is understood that in theory this bill requires seasonal property owners to pay property taxes...great concept. But in diving further into the bill what it will do is shift the increase in property taxes onto local businesses. This isn't theory. This is analysis open to the public and is common knowledge for anyone who has dived below the surface of this issue, which a chief-author of a bill should be expected to do. So, my question is, why would Ward want to increase property taxes on local businesses? It should be noted, he is hard-core DFL, as is the chief-author in the Senate, Tom Bakk. (I'm not pointing a partisan finger, but that is noteworthy).

I wouldn't say that I am Republican, or Democrat, not even Independent, at least, I wouldn't say it openly. But holding our leaders accountable is a civic duty. Fish, you don't hold them accountable you read an article and form in your vast knowledge of experience or, insight which is obviously very limited and you spread false truths.

You can argue that point if you like. I don't care. I truly don't. What's posted here is vetted analysis from public documentary research, which does not include a CBS, ABC, FOX, Strib, Pioneer Press, or any other AP or non-AP related source. It's not skewed. I know this to be fact, detached from emotion.

And @hannahtotheright. Your post is confusing to me. You're aware that the Senate majority has changed for the first time in 38 years, correct? I wouldn't be surprised if the now minority party didn't share with their opposition how to do the job of governing, nor should they be expected to. That's politics. Put yourself in the position of being in the minority, with 21senators in your caucus, and 46 in the majority, for your entire career where, I've been told the DFL majority rarely, if ever, heard bills authored by GOP legislators (this is also public knowledge), and suddenly, you have 37 members in your new majority caucus and 30 members in the minority. Why do you claim you understand what is happening in St. Paul when you clearly do not? If anything, I'd say the GOP is going out of their way to make it fair for the DFL to have their voice heard. They don't have to, but they do. This is also noteworthy.

Maybe, Hannah, you're not quite ready yet to assume you know the innermost goings on in the Minnesota Legislature. I've studied our state leaders thoroughly, for several years, and STILL, I would not make that claim.

What makes you say "We're fine," anyway? Do you not know that the DFL party promised $38 billion in expenditures for this biennium while as of February 2011 we have only $32 billion of actual cash to spend? This isn't partisan either, this is fact. Look it up for yourselves.

I'll end with this. I challenge anyone reading to get a copy of the state's budget, read it and see where we spend our money.

Then, try, if you can, to wrap your mind around the concept of $38 billion. Here's a rule of measurement for you:

If you stacked $1 million worth of $1 thousand dollar bills it would be 18 inches high.

If you stacked $1 billion worth of $1 thousand dollar bills, it would be 100 feet higher than the Washington Monument.

We have 32 of these actual piles, and we need, over the next two years, 38. Why?

@Hannah. The responsibility of a balanced state budget falls on the legislative body. Not the executive branch, which is the Office of the Governor. The legislature knew when they sent their budget to the Gov that the state would have a deficit. The Gov knew that there would be a deficit. But no one knew what the exact damage would be. I can tell you, I witnessed Governor Pawlenty opening his doors to the DFL Senate for several months before session began, and before it ended. They didn't take him up on his offer until nearly the end of session.

Put simply. It is the responsiblity of the legislative body to present the Governor with a balanced budget. They did not do this until very late in the session when they knew they could play political games in an election year, back when it was assumed by everyone that the GOP Senate would never take the majority.

The DFL presented a $32 billion dollar budget that Gov Pawlenty signed off on. The DFL assumed they could simply raise taxes in 2011 since they arrogantly took for granted that they would retain control of both bodies. The DFL knew the deficit would be massive, and yet they overpromised $6 billion in new expenditures.

Another interesting notion is this: If MN has a budget of $32 billion, and we're supposed to spend $38 billion, and we will ONLY spend $32 billion, does that keep us living within our means? Or is the GOP really going to cut so drastically as popular notion says? Would it be possible to conceive that they're just not going to spend any new money without saying (falsely) that they're cutting so many essential services?

No. Logically speaking: They are not promising new money, that doesn't mean they're going to cut everything under the state budget purview. Be careful of the play on words that media like to use.

Fish, give me your correlation between not increasing the tax rate on the wealthy to property taxes increasing.
As long as you concede property taxes are set at the local level that is.

Thanks, Jeff

By not increasing the taxes on the wealthy more LGA will be cut from the budget forcing local government to raise our property taxes AGAIN.

Specifically in Brainerd, we were cut approximately $250,000 per year in LGA on averaged since 2008.
Brainerd’s services haven’t been decreased one iota and property taxes have been maintained with a flat tax rate resulting in a negligible increase.
Brainerd has however cut wasteful spending by cutting back on non-essential employees to the tune of around 18 positions…most by attrition.
If Brainerd can operate at the same service level with 18 fewer employees, would you agree or disagree that we’re doing more with less and that it is highly likely other cities could probably do the same?

Also, based on what I’ve provided, do you think the question of (“what the hell have we been doing?”) is warranted?

Regards, Jeff

Crow Wing County consists of more than just Brainerd.

My property taxes went up 150% in the past three years and are going up another 16% this year.

When LGA is reduced property taxes go up to compensate. The money has to come from somewhere because the need doesn't disappear.

Yes the county wastes a lot of money but they will do that even when LGA is cut. To make up for a reduction in LGA they raise taxes.

They've already wasted over $118,000 on the fading ATV fad and are continuing to spend money on it. Pet projects of certain commissioners (Theide and Franzen) don't die regardless of public sentiment.

Thanks Smartguy. A typical liberal, don't answer the question, answer. What were the averages during his time in office? Not just the select time periods you chose.

"IMO the best we can hope for is to minimize waste."

I agree with you on that, Fish.

There's wishful thinking and there's reality. The last election Theide ran unopposed despite his poor financial decisions. My commissioner will probably run unopposed the next time too.

Reality is that if the Republicans reduce LGA instead of raising taxes to par on the wealthy our property taxes WILL go up.

We'll see how further cuts to LGA play out. I hope it doesn't mean more icy roads like this winter. Conditions prevented the plows from scraping the ice off the roads for long periods but I did see days when Brainerd streets could have been scraped clean and they weren't so I wouldn't be too sure that LGA cuts haven't affected Brainerd services.