Politics & Government
Is it Fair for Minnetonka to Do Without Local Government Aid (LGA)?
Tweaks to the state aid program and additional funding didn't benefit Minnetonka any.
As expected, Minnetonka will continue to do without local government aid money despite changes to the funding formula and more money in the program.
The omnibus tax bill—which passed the Minnesota Senate 36-30 just a few minutes before midnight Monday, the legislative session's legal deadline—pumps $80 million more into the local government aid (LGA) program. The aim is to help cities lower property taxes.
Click on the PDF to the right of this article to see a full breakdown of how cities across the state will fare.
Find out what's happening in Minnetonkawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
LGA is intended to help cities with greater needs than they can reasonably expect to fund through property taxes. In most cases, the money goes into a city's general fund, to be spent however city officials deem necessary.
Yet Minnetonka is not among the beneficiaries of the new bill. The city last received LGA in 2002, when it got $63,141, according to House Research’s Local Government Aid Lookup tool.
Find out what's happening in Minnetonkawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Do you think it’s fair for Minnetonka to be left out of the program? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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