Hang on to your wallets...
Hang on to your wallets Minnesota. The legislature is in session and if the last two days are any indication of what the new DFL legislature is going to be like, the taxpayers are about to get the shaft again. The Minnesota Senate today introduced bills designed to a) authorize wheelage taxes, raise the gas tax, raise vehicle licensing fees (S.F.5), b) increase the state sales tax (S.F.6 and S.F. 20), c) increasing a school districts levy authority (S.F.12) and d) universal health care (S.F.14). In addition, the Hennepin County Board is asking the Legislature to allow it to tax the 7 surrounding counties in order to pay for the Hiawatha Line.
"The popularity of the Hiawatha line has translated into $1.3 million in extra revenue from fares last year, but that can't make up for a $10 million federal grant that ended last year.
Hennepin County, which uses a special property tax to pay for half the cost of running the line linking Minneapolis and Bloomington, thinks the entire metro region should help pay for it. The six other metro counties agree."
Here is a hot tip for the operators of the Hiawatha line. If the line is so popular - raise your rates! That will help make up the shortfall.
"It's not a trivial amount of money," and the benefits of rail lines extend beyond county lines, so costs should be paid on a regional basis, said Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin. Dakota County residents regularly use the Hiawatha line's park and ride lots at Fort Snelling and in Bloomington, McLaughlin said.
"There is no rational basis why the property taxpayers in Hennepin County ought to be paying for Dakota County people to use the LRT line," he said."
And asking a person who lives in Anoka to pay for a rail that they will NEVER use is not fair or rational either Mr. McLaughlin! Ditto for the folks who live in Chaska, Chanhassen and Shakopee! Why should they pay for something that they do not use?
I would not mind paying for a rail line, but it would have to be a rail line that all Minnesotans can use, not just a special few.
Governor Pawlenty has said that he will veto any bill that allows Hennipin County to pass their folly on to the rest of the metro. Let's hope he really means it this time. However, I'm not holding my breath. The Governor has already shown a penchant for doing only what is politically advantageous to him. If a veto falls out of that category, the taxpayers of Minnesota are hosed.
"The popularity of the Hiawatha line has translated into $1.3 million in extra revenue from fares last year, but that can't make up for a $10 million federal grant that ended last year.
Hennepin County, which uses a special property tax to pay for half the cost of running the line linking Minneapolis and Bloomington, thinks the entire metro region should help pay for it. The six other metro counties agree."
Here is a hot tip for the operators of the Hiawatha line. If the line is so popular - raise your rates! That will help make up the shortfall.
"It's not a trivial amount of money," and the benefits of rail lines extend beyond county lines, so costs should be paid on a regional basis, said Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin. Dakota County residents regularly use the Hiawatha line's park and ride lots at Fort Snelling and in Bloomington, McLaughlin said.
"There is no rational basis why the property taxpayers in Hennepin County ought to be paying for Dakota County people to use the LRT line," he said."
And asking a person who lives in Anoka to pay for a rail that they will NEVER use is not fair or rational either Mr. McLaughlin! Ditto for the folks who live in Chaska, Chanhassen and Shakopee! Why should they pay for something that they do not use?
I would not mind paying for a rail line, but it would have to be a rail line that all Minnesotans can use, not just a special few.
Governor Pawlenty has said that he will veto any bill that allows Hennipin County to pass their folly on to the rest of the metro. Let's hope he really means it this time. However, I'm not holding my breath. The Governor has already shown a penchant for doing only what is politically advantageous to him. If a veto falls out of that category, the taxpayers of Minnesota are hosed.
posted by The Lady Logician at
4:59 PM
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