Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Take our poll; then click on to our Patch stories below to see what legislators and others are saying.
Gov. Mark Dayton this week unveiled a proposed state budget and tax plan that would, among other things, lower Minnesota's sales tax from 6.875 percent to 5.5 percent but broaden it to cover more items such as higher-priced clothing, car repairs and other services. In his quest to avoid a projected $1.1 billion revenue shortfall, Dayton said his plan also includes raising the income on some groups of taxpayers (such as the state's 2 percent of highest-income earners). He is proposing to reduce property taxes and cut the corporate tax rate on businesses. (To see a Patch story and UpTake video of Dayton's speech, click on this link.) Bottom line: The governor said he wants to provide property tax relief, boost funding for K-12 education, …
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Gov. Mark Dayton, in his first appearance since having back surgery late last year, will outline his proposed budget for the next two years.
Laying out financial plans for the next two years, and with a Democratic controlled Legislature out in front of him, Gov. Mark Dayton will address both the public and public servants at the Minnesota State Capitol this morning. You can watch streaming video, live, courtesy of the UpTake right here as Dayton will lay out a series of tax hikes, line-item increases and an expected payment shift for Minnesota schools in his address. It's the first public appearance for Dayton since he had back surgery in Rochester, MN last month. Media outlets such as Minnesota Public Radio are saying the budget could have a big impact on Dayton's political future. The first-term governor has not hinted whether or not he will run again for the state's top seat…
Friday, January 4, 2013
With so many challenges on the table, Patch wants to know what issues you think are most important.
With another legislative session just around the corner, senators and representatives have no shortage of challenges ahead of them. Lawmakers plan to convene hearings on gun control in the wake of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT. They’ll review a recommendation from a governor-appointed task force to increase gas taxes and tab fees in response to a projected $50 billion shortfall in transportation funding. The DFL majority and defeat of the marriage amendment in the 2012 election could even prompt the Legislature to take up the issue of gay marriage. And looming over everything is a projected $1.1 billion deficit that legislators will have to close before adjourning for the year. With so many issues on the …
Monday, July 9, 2012
This week, the city's elected officials are reconsidering their own salary and benefits. What do you think?
It's budget time at Burnsville City Hall, and on Tuesday Mayor Elizabeth Kautz and her cohorts on the city council will consider something near and dear: Their own city salaries and benefits. At present, the mayor earns $1,000 per month. Each council member draws a monthly salary of $700. From 2009 to 2011, elected officials in Burnsville also received a stipend ($35 for each "extra meeting" they attended). In addition to drawing a salary, the mayor and council currently can enroll in the city's health and dental insurance program (the same plans that part-time, 20-hour a week employees receive) and are eligible for retirement benefits (the city will match contributions, which max out at up to 5 percent of their total city salary). …
Monday, May 21, 2012
Mandates in the federal Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act will require schools to provide more specific categories of food and work toward price equity for all students' meals, resulting in a need for increased lunch prices.
Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Get our newsletter |Write for Local Voices The District 196 School Board on Monday approved a 10-cent lunch price increase for elementary and high school students, as well as for adults, by a 6-0 vote. The increase brings lunch prices for 2012-13 to $2.20 for elementary, $2.35 for high school and $3.40 for adults. Middle school pricing will stay at $2.25. The price increase was necessary, district officials said, because of mandates from the federal Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 that focus on nutrition and something called price equity, an effort to have all students contributing the same amount of money to their school-provided meals. If the board had voted against the measure, the …
John
5:27 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
The aspect I find especially difficult is figuring out how much money is simply redistributed. A hundred years ago, very little money was redistributed by the government. Pull out the money that the government gives right back to its citizens and I think the actual "spending" would remain pretty constant. more ›