Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities Looking for Aid

(KNSI) – The 2022 Minnesota Legislative session is underway, and Bradley Peterson, Executive Director of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, tells KNSI that his organization is ready to remind lawmakers that smaller communities in greater Minnesota have unmet needs as well.

Peterson says the coalition’s biggest goal is an increase in Local Government Aid.

“Our highest priority this year is going to be Local Government Aid, that program that pays out money to cities across the state to help pay for things like public safety, libraries, parks, and restrain property taxes. We’re going to be asking for a $90 million increase to that program for the next year. As it turns out, it’s just not keeping up with inflation. Since 2009, LGA has increased about 16%. And inflation is up 27%.”

The local government aid program helps smaller cities fund basic needs. Peterson says LGA keeps property taxes down.

“Going back to the 70s, there’s been a recognition that if you want to have strong communities across the state, you’re going to have to help out some of those cities that have less property tax wealth than others. LGA tends to go to those communities in rural Minnesota that are smaller, that have less property tax wealth, or those cities that host a lot of institutions like higher education, hospitals, and other things that are not on the property tax rolls and aren’t paying necessarily for the services and the infrastructure, but still put stress on them.”

In addition, the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities will continue to push for greater childcare availability. Peterson says some communities operate without any form of daycare, regardless of cost.

“Childcare is one of those issues that was critical before the pandemic and has only been made worse since then. It’s a fascinating problem. You could spend a whole bunch of time talking about childcare because it operates both on the affordability side of things, just how much it costs to have childcare. But in a lot of our rural communities, especially our smaller ones, there isn’t anybody offering childcare at any price.”

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