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1 REGULAR COUNCIL MEE71NG <br /> DECEMBER 7 , 1992 <br /> 0 PAGE 9 <br /> 4 <br /> 5 <br /> 6 Mr . Waldemar inquired if the City shares services and <br /> 7 equipment with other cities . The City Manager advised this has <br /> 8 been done for quite some time and cost savings have been <br /> 9 realized . He did feel that some sharing of services and <br /> 10 personnel may be shortsighted and gave the example of <br /> 11 consolidating police services with Ramsey County . He noted <br /> 12 that the response time would be considerably longer and many <br /> 13 items would be prioritized by Ramsey County and may not <br /> 14 receive immediate attention as they do now with the St . <br /> 15 Anthony Police Department . He noted that dispatching of <br /> 16 emergency calls is done by Hennepin County at the present <br /> 17 time . <br /> 18 <br /> 19 Mr . Waldeman questioned whether the levy increase was applied <br /> 20 to all types of properties . The City Manager responded that it <br /> 21 was and the taxes applied to commercial and industrial <br /> 22 properties are much higher than those on residentia.1 <br /> 23 properties . He noted that 1993 rate on commerc-ial and <br /> 24 industrial properties has been decreased and the difference <br /> 25 will be picked up by residential property owners . <br /> 26 <br /> Charlotte Olson inquired if the state requirements affect the <br /> City ' s costs and if they were as restrictive as it sounds . <br /> Burt responded that eighty percent of the City' s paperwork is <br /> 30 requested by the State . He cited the Police Department ' s <br /> 31 paperwork as an example and the $4 . 00 for the water testing. <br /> 32 <br /> 33 He also noted that the City has no control over the Local <br /> 34 Government Aid nor the formula used to compute it . Last year <br /> 35 a Local Government Tr.ust Fund was established which would be <br /> 36 funded by two cents from every- six and one half cent sales tax <br /> 37 collected . The State raided this fund . The issue of handling <br /> 38 these funds has not been constitutionally mandated as to how <br /> 39 to return these funds to cities or property owners . It has <br /> 40 been suggested that this question be put on a ballot for all <br /> 41 of the State ' s 'taxpayers to vote on . <br /> 42 <br /> 43 The City Manager acknowledged . that there should be a property <br /> 44 tax reform in Minnesota . He observed that the State ' s taxes <br /> 45 are not very high compared to those of Wisconsin . Residential <br /> 46 property taxes have been artificially low and have been that <br /> 47 way for some years . <br /> 48 <br /> 49 Mayor Ranallo chaired the Fiscal Disparities Committee for the <br /> 50 League, of Minnesota Cities . He stated that all city officials <br />