Posts filed under ‘Nexus Project’
Help Minnesota residents see what drives public cost increases
The St. Paul Pioneer Press editorial board supports NAIOP Minnesota’s transparency initiative.
“A bill in the Minnesota House … helps understand better what’s driving costs higher and could change taxpayers’ ‘why bother’ attitudes.”
This supportive editorial is based on interviews with Paul Reinke, Senior Director – Development at Haugland Company, Oakdale City Council Member and NAIOP member; Rep. Keith Downey of Edina, chief author in the House; and Kaye Rakow, Director of Public Policy – NAIOP Minnesota.
Some highlights from the editorial:
- Rep. Downey: “We need to understand the spending behind tax increases to understand what can be done.”
- Paul Reinke: “With good information, ‘citizens can plug in constructively and help us’ serve the needs of the community.”
- “Property taxes are an issue of deep concern for local businesses, and we appreciate the work done by the Minnesota chapter of the commercial real estate organization NAIOP and the Minnesota Taxpayers Association.”
More useful government spending reports needed
“To intelligently cope with the influence of spending on property taxes, taxpayers must be able to quickly and easily understand the cost drivers behind local government spending. Financial reporting by object code would provide greater spending transparency for taxpayers.”
Dee Schutte is the executive director of the Litchfield Chamber of Commerce.
Crow River Business, September 2011 edition
Goal to Uncover the Drivers Behind Property Tax Rates
“While taxpayers, including businesses, and elected officials can debate the proper levels of taxes, having a good understanding of the ways in which tax dollars are spent should be an idea on which all sides agree.”
Big Fat Finance Blog, Karen Kroll, June 1, 2011
Writing about NAIOP Minnesota’s transparency project and OpenGovernmentMN.com
The Sunlight Weekly Roundup in Washington, DC, writes on NAIOP’s transparency initiative
“There is a group improving local government transparency in Minnesota by pushing for standardized financial reporting with details of the state’s spending including public officials’ salaries and expenses. OpenGovernmentMN.com is proposing a business-like approach “Object Code”, to provide access to data that can be used to create an open public discussion.”
More details, more power to the people
Property taxes are necessary, hard to fathom and sometimes painful to pay. They can increase when our property values go down? And the opposite can also be true? Say what?
Hard to fathom is right. But one constant in property taxes is spending by local governments — the cities, counties and school districts whose levies make up most of the property tax bill. Keeping a foot on the brake of local spending is one important way to keep property taxes within reason.
Read more.
Pioneer Press, April 27, 2011
Minnesota Senate passes a cut in business property tax bills
Ending state tax would return $700M to payers; odds of passing slim.
Read more.
Finance & Commerce, April 6, 2011
Minnesota Organizations Push for Transparency in Government Spending
NAIOP Minnesota, the Minnesota Taxpayers Association, and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce plan to draft legislation requiring all government entities to use the same structure to report how they budget and then spend taxpayer dollars.
Twin Cities Business, April 19, 2011
Read more.
NAIOP introduces OpenGovernmentMN.com
OpenGovernmentMN.com has been established as an online resource and central repository of research, news and other information useful in informing Minnesota taxpayers and encouraging public debate and involvement.
Q: What does greater transparency in government spending have to do with property taxes?
A: Everything!
It’s time to unveil the drivers behind the rising cost of public services and the demand for increasing local tax revenues.
Read more.
Transparency Proposal Talking Points for NAIOP members
Transparency Proposal FAQ
Transparency Proposal Press Release, Initiative to Spur Greater Transparency in Local Government Spending Launched by NAIOP Minnesota
Ultimately local government spending drives property tax levies and, in turn, property taxpayers’ bills. This is the most influential piece of the property tax system. It is also the most important and—in many ways—the most challenging element for taxpayers to understand.
A myth-busting look at property taxes
Think local levies punish mainly outstate regions and central cities, leaving suburbs unscathed? New data could make you think again. Appearing on the front page of the Opinion Exchange section of the Star Tribune, Sunday, March 6.
Read more.
