March 24 MV Resident FB Posts - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

March 24, 2022 Mounds View Residents Page Charter Commission FB Post V. Amundsen PETITION UPDATE: This is an update to the 502 people who signed the MV Petition regarding city property tax increases this past January - I'm sorry to inform you that the Ordinance the City Council passed unanimously in December, to change the city charter, giving the city greater taxing authority has unfortunately now gone into effect. THE COUNCIL REJECTED THE CITIZEN'S PETITION. Though our petition had more than the required signatures (502, when only 382 were needed), and was turned in almost a month early, the council CHOSE to deem it insufficient. They did so of their OWN DETERMINATION. Though some on the council may tell you the county or the Secretary of State has rules that require it to deficient, it was ENTIRELY THE MV CITY COUNCIL who determined that to be so. THEY DID HAVE A CHOICE. Both the Attorney General, the Secretary of State's Office and the Ramsey County Elections Office has stated that it is entirely the city's decision to accept or deny our citizen's petition and NO OTHER ENTITY. They chose to deny the voice of the citizen's, and chose NOT to bring this issue to the voter's, as this petition was requesting. I sought advice from the City before beginning the petition process and honestly trusted that they would appropriately guide our efforts. They did not, and have put up walls in countless ways, as I have attempted to get so many details and answers from them. So after the Council unanimously denied YOUR will and petition in February, my husband and I sought a legal opinion from a well-respected Twin Cities Attorney, who advised us that our petition could have been accepted by our Council. But sadly, in the state of MN, a municipality can choose to do as it pleases, even when statutes direct them otherwise. The citizen's only recourse is court, which is very expensive. You should know that the city has already spent $13,000 of your money fighting this petition, and I'm certain was ready to spend more should we decide to take this further. And did you know that the Attorney General "does NOT have supervisory authority over the city . . . Cities are governed by officials directly elected by voters . . . if the decisions of the elected officials are NOT in accord with the wishes of the voters, the law presumes that the proper remedy is for voters to replace them at the next election." (Direct quote from the AG letter we received.) So I wanted to let all of you know what happened over these past few months. I am sorry - I have worked diligently on your behalf. One thing I found when walking this petition - we are a city full of wonderful and good people. I love the Mounds View people. God bless you all. 💙 Anthony Nicholls – Valerie, I take my hat off to you. TIME FOR A RECALL!!! Why would they want to pay more property tax on their own homes!? What is it with the obsession of taxing!!? Curt Lyons - I appreciate your efforts, Valerie, as well as the efforts of the others who circulated the petition. As I see it, the issue is not whether taxes should go up or not; that is a different discussion. The issue at hand is the manner in which the charter was changed. If there is a valid reason to amend the charter, surely a case for the change could be made to the voters, and they could be trusted to weigh the available information and cast their ballots to decide the matter. It seems inappropriate to deny the voters a voice in amending the city charter they originally passed. Is there a council member in this group who would be willing to speak to this question in a response to this post? If so, I would love to hear from you. Thank you.