Laserfiche WebLink
<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />515 Little Canada Road <br />Little Canada, MN 55117 <br />www.littlecanadamn.org <br />MAYOR <br />John Keis <br /> <br />COUNCIL <br />Rick Montour <br />Michael McGraw <br />Tom Fischer <br />Christian Torkelson <br /> <br /> <br />March 13, 2019 <br /> <br />The Honorable Representative Jamie Becker-Finn <br /> <br />Minnesota House of Representatives <br />100 Dr. Rev. MLK Jr. Boulevard <br />St. Paul, MN 55155-0001 <br /> <br />Dear Representative Becker-Finn, <br /> <br />The City of Little Canada is requesting support for House File 2194 related to the allocation of <br />revenue from the Motor Vehicle Lease Sales Tax. This bill amends Minnesota Statutes 2018 <br />section 297A.815, subdivision 3 by striking the exclusion of Hennepin and Ramsey Counties. <br />In 2015, state legislation was passed to reallocate $32 million of the sales tax collected from <br />leased vehicles from the State’s general fund, 50% to Greater Minnesota transit and 50% to <br />metro counties through the County State Aid Highway fund. In an effort to balance funding for <br />transit and roads/bridges, the new law excluded Hennepin and Ramsey counties from receiving <br />their percentage of funding and split the proceeds between the other five metro counties. <br />The Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB) established in 2008 provided additional funds <br />for metro-area transit projects. With the elimination of CTIB in 2017, all seven metro counties <br />now collect their own local transportation sales tax, spend the proceeds on their own <br />transportation projects and have equal opportunity for funding. <br />The City of Little Canada advocates for eliminating the exemption of Hennepin and Ramsey <br />counties and distributing the sales tax on leased vehicles, per the county state aid formula, to all <br />metro counties. Distributing the Motor Vehicle Lease Sales Tax Allocation from Hennepin and <br />Ramsey County to the other five metro counties puts the City of Little Canada and other cities in <br />Ramsey and Hennepin County at a disadvantage when it comes to accessing county funds for <br />much needed road and bridge projects. <br /> <br />Sincerely, <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />John T. Keis, Mayor Chris Heineman, City Administrator <br />City of Little Canada City of Little Canada