True North

So one of the big things that people are trying to claim as a victory from the Session ending compromise (on the right) is the Property Tax cap of 3.9%. The problem is that it caps nothing. It left in provisions so that a City could go above and beyond the cap  for emergency purposes like Police.

Public safety: A good thing, I am sure we all agree.

Public safety is after all one of the cornerstones of what Government has a duty to provide. The problem is that cities, counties, and even states usually wait until the end of the budgeting to get down to that line item. More often than not, they hold maintaining Police strength and fire departments over the heads of voters like a carrot on the end of a stick.

Saying if we don’t get more…. you don’t get cops, or fire, or ambulances.

You see they waste money right up to the breaking point of their budget, then they get down to the serious business.

So even though the sound of a property tax cap as a victory for the fiscally conservatives out of this session sounds nice, it is not going to cap the tax increases at 3.9%. I’m willing to bet a ton of cities will spend to their hearts content up to the 3.9% increase, and of course that will exclude most public safety costs. Then they’ll go out to the cameras with those big bureaucratic puppy dog eyes and blame those darn Republicans for not being able to fund public safety. Of course they raised spending across the board on frivolous entitlements and social engineering, anti-market projects with the rest of the budget.  

Public SAFETY will be for the extra levy over and above the fake property tax cap of 3.9% that so many people seem to think is meaningful and real. It isn’t a property tax cap if they can get around it. And oh boy, the League of Minnesota Cities probably has teams of lawyers there to help the cities get around it.

cap 1 |kap|noun : 3. an upper limit imposed on spending or other activities

I hate to break it to everyone, but eventhough I am thankful my general operating levies from my city will be capped at 3.9%, it doesn’t stop them at 3.9%, and may in fact make it easier to take away more. And of course it didn’t mention schools did it?

Did this cap the money grab school districts have been doing at the ballot box? Will school based property taxes also be capped to 3.9% increases too?

I haven’t looked yet, but I kinda doubt it….. oh and did you notice how school funding got another $51 per child…..

Oh and do you remember how the Legislature allowed the counties to raise sales taxes for future choo choos? Or how they raised the gas tax?  Taxes went up this year, and this phony property tax cap is another ploy for us all to think they aren’t robbing us blind.

Oh and don’t forget the fees. They went up too.

If only there was a delivery vehicle to explain what fiscal responsibility really looked like…….