| Gov. Pawlenty, give back our money |
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Posted: Friday, December 19, 2008 10:43 pm
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Cities all over the state were reeling Friday from the news that Gov. Pawlenty took back $66 million in promised Local Government Aid.
Although characterized by Pawlenty as “modest,” the reduction in the semi-annual aid payment amounts to a $356,000 cut to Northfield’s 2008 budget.
That means city staff and the council must find that money from another source to make our budget whole by Dec. 31. State law requires cities to balance their budgets every year.
Like most communities, Northfield factors LGA payments into its budget, assuming the payments will come in as promised. When they don’t, it’s a scramble to make up the difference.
That’s what happened in early 2003, the last time Pawlenty unallotted LGA payments. In Northfield, that cut resulted in staff cutbacks from which the city has not yet recovered.
Taxpayers are not legally allowed to tell the state that they didn’t make enough money this year to pay their taxes, so why should the governor be allowed to use essentially the same argument?
In dealing with the rest of the state’s daunting budget deficit, the Legislature needs to be more creative than the governor in filling the gap.
And while they’re at it, perhaps legislators should consider ending the governor’s authority to unilaterally take money away from our communities through unallotment. |
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