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Municipal Revenue & Taxation <br />an electronic submission alternative to any remaining paper filing requirements, and to <br />authorize the use of web publication where newspaper publication is currently required. <br />1-E Local Government Aid (LGA) <br />Metro Cities supports Local Government Aid (LGA) as a means of ensuring that cities <br />remain affordable places to live and work while meeting the basic public service demands <br />of residents and businesses. <br />Metro Cities' policies recognize that the state's prosperity and vitality depend significantly upon <br />the strength of the metropolitan region. Metro Cities supported 2013 statutory modifications to <br />the LGA program to help better address the needs of cities across the state, and of metro cities in <br />their support of the state's economic growth and supports further examination of the LGA <br />formula to ensure it is continuing to address these needs. <br />To ensure appropriation levels are adequate to meet LGA program objectives, Metro <br />Cities supports increasing the LGA appropriation to address cities' unmet need as defined <br />by the LGA formula as well as increases in the LGA appropriation to account for inflation. <br />By way of reference, the total need identified in the LGA formula for 2019 is estimated at $814.6 <br />million, whereas the current funding is set at $534.4 million, putting the remaining need at <br />$280.2 million. <br />Metro Cities supports formula -based allocations for increases to the LGA appropriation, <br />and opposes freezes of the LGA appropriation, or reductions of LGA for balancing state <br />budget deficits. Metro Cities also opposes artificial limits or reductions that single out <br />specific cities, and further opposes using LGA as financial leverage to influence particular <br />activities and policy decisions at the local level. <br />1-F State Property Tax Relief Programs <br />Metro Cities supports state funded property tax relief programs paid directly to homestead <br />property taxpayers such as the "circuit breaker" program and enhanced targeting for <br />special circumstances. Metro Cities also supports the renter's credit program. Metro Cities <br />supports an analysis of the state's property tax relief programs to determine their <br />effectiveness and equity in providing property tax relief to individuals and families across <br />the state. <br />Metro Cities supports efforts by the Minnesota Department of Revenue to expand outreach <br />and notification efforts about state property tax relief programs to homeowners, and <br />notifications to local units of government to support such efforts. Metro Cities also <br />supports legislative modifications to make tax relief payments to taxpayers automatic. <br />Metro Cities supports the use of the Department of Revenue's "Voss" database to link <br />income and property values, and the consideration of income relative to property taxes <br />paid in determining eligibility for state property tax relief programs. Updates to the database <br />2019 Legislative Policies <br />