In This Issue:
- RSVP for Metro Cities Policy Adoption Meeting November 16th!
- Metropolitan Governance Task Force
- Local Sales Taxes Advisory Task Force
- New State Housing Tax Credit
- Reminder: MPCA Cumulative Impacts Meeting
RSVP for Metro Cities Policy Adoption Meeting November 16th!
Metro Cities’ legislative policies will receive final adoption at the Policy Adoption Meeting next Thursday, November 16th at 4:00 p.m. The meeting will be virtual and will feature a speaker from the Office of Cannabis Management to discuss the state’s regulatory structure for the legalization of adult-use cannabis. Draft legislative policies can be viewed HERE. A quorum is required for the adoption of policies. Please plan to attend! RSVP to Jennifer Dorn at [email protected].
Metropolitan Governance Task Force
The Metropolitan Governance Task Force met on Wednesday and discussed ongoing work to set a vision and goal setting for the task force. Members discussed values and criteria identified by the 2020 Blue Ribbon Commission including accountability, flexibility, credibility, effectiveness, equity, stability, strategic vision, and transparency.
Metro Cities provided testimony, at the request of the Chair, on the association’s positions on regional governance. Metro Cities’ policy on governance includes support for four-year staggered terms to provide knowledge continuity and to stabilize ideological shifts on the Council and support statutory changes to increase local official input into the selection of members, as well as changes to improve transparency, including a public comment period for nominated members. Metro Cities’ testimony also emphasized that cities are a primary constituency of the Metropolitan Council, given the nexus between regional policies and their implementation by city officials. Questions? Please contact Patricia Nauman at 651-215-4002 or [email protected].
Local Sales Taxes Advisory Task Force
The Local Sales Taxes Advisory Task Force met Wednesday afternoon, and the task force took public testimony, as well as continued its discussion on building consensus on key terms, including equalization, equity, and access. Testimony supporting local sales taxes was provided by Rep. Dave Baker-Willmar and St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis. Other testimony was provided by a councilmember from the city of St. Peter and a representative from Lake of the Woods Tourism, both of whom spoke in support of local sales taxes to meet specific needs and purposes.
Questions? Contact Patricia Nauman at [email protected].
New State Housing Tax Credit
Minnesota Housing has released new information on the new State Housing Tax Credit Program and Contribution Fund. The new program allows taxpayers to contribute between $1,000 and $2 million each tax year to qualify for a tax credit of 85% of the contribution. Tax credit submissions must be made by December 8, 2023. Minnesota Housing may issue up to $9.9 million of the tax credits in 2023.
Contributions can go to a contribution pool, which is awarded to cities, tribes, developers, nonprofits, public housing authorities and other qualifying entities. The contributions can also be made to a specific qualified project. All funds will be made available through a Request for Proposals in 2024, separate from the 2024 consolidated RFP. Funds can be used for gap financing, new construction, acquisition, rehabilitation, demolition, or removal of existing structures, construction financing, and permanent financing.
Minnesota Housing has published a website with the up-to-date amount of tax credits requested and issued. You can access the website HERE. As of November 6, 2023, $922,327 tax credits have been requested. You can find additional information about the State Housing Tax Credit Program HERE.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Ania McDonnell at [email protected].
Reminder: MPCA Cumulative Impacts Meeting
The recently passed environment, natural resources, climate, and energy omnibus bill requires the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to develop a process and set of criteria for cumulative impact analyses for facilities seeking air permits in or near environmental justice areas in the seven-county metropolitan area, Duluth, and Rochester. The law defines an environmental justice area as a census tract that is more than 40% nonwhite, more than 35% of households below 200% of the poverty level, and more than 40% over the age of five with limited English proficiency or located within Indian Country. Click HERE to view a map produced by the MPCA showing environmental justice areas in the metropolitan region.
The MPCA is hosting a virtual meeting via zoom on Tuesday, November 14th at 1:30 PM regarding Minnesota’s work in implementing the new law. Attendees will learn more about the major themes in the feedback gathered during the scoping phase and public comment period. Click HERE to join the meeting on the 14th. Click HERE to view the MPCA’s web page on the cumulative impacts law.
Contact Mike Lund at [email protected] or 651-215-4003 with any questions.