9:20 AM : I’m here at the Anoka County Government Center, in the Board room. Chair Berg and LeDoux are working a media person to spin the tax. Berg is once again trying to say that this will lower Property taxes, but then he said we wouldn’t really see a drop. LeDoux chimes in and says with this new sales tax increase, which both of them had to correct saying it wasn’t really an increase since we are already taking the money, all the 4 million people who visit the National Sports Center every year will “chip in” to paying for the NorthStar Commuter Railline stations.

Folks, Northstar isn’t going anywhere near the Sports Center, and neither is a lightrail line, yet to be dreamed up.

I also heard a couple Sherriffs who weere standing near the elevators joking about being here for all the irate taxpayers.

9:27 – Rep. Jim Abler is here in the gallery, and the grin on his face is ear to ear.

9:32 – Here we go. Or rather there goes our money. Abler is now giving a few last words to the Commissioners before the meeting begins. (And he is now sitting right behind me.)

9:33 – A few people seem to be taking note of my typing away here, and now Abler is in the gallery again.

9:35 – Comm. Erhart is in the gallery and we’re waiting for him to begin.

9:36 – And we beging with the Pledge. Abler is now behind me again.

We’re doing routine public meeting info like Minutes and such. It sounds like we’re going to bring Item #9 A & B (the transit tax & Joint Powers Agreement. 2 parts. Chair Berg moves the resolution to join the Board.

Mary Richardson is presenting the info on the Statute that allows the Tax Increase and also on the Joint Powers board. She is with the firm that helped craft/research the the original bill.

The Met Council Chair is on this board.

(This is a crude live blog of items as they happen. Please bear with the fragments. )

Policy decisions for Joint Powers Board: Weighted voting, super majority, process for late joining counties to get in, responsibilities for withdrawal.

The statute also requires weighted voting, meaning it is an unequal representation. There is also a way for counties to opt out of the Joint Powers Board.

Weighted voting: 95 votes based on 50% population & 50% tax revenue contributed. 5 votes go to the Met Council Chair! One member may cast all the County’s votes!

9:48 Anoka COunty 13% of board & 8% of the sales tax. 10 votes

Dakota 13; Hennepin 47; … (missed the rest. I will try to get a copy of the powerpoint.)

63% of the votes and a majority of the Counties must be present to take almost any action. 75% vote is required for major projects over 5 years and the estimated 12 month revenue.

9:52 – 3 years notice required to leave the board and remove the tax, plus all obligations (money) must be sent in prior.)

(Flow Charts!!!! Kinda looks like a 4 headed snake!) Met Council will review the projects to make sure it fits into their regional model. Plus the Legislature will be reported to as well. So this new taxing bureaucracy is not autonomous)

9:54 – New money can’t be used for existing bus lines! 10% local match for capital costs of transitways! (no-state or federal!)

Grants- May not supplant 50% Met Council share of operating costs of LRT & Commuter rail.

“Geographic equity over time”

“benefits to Anoka County”:

‘Property Tax relief” Operating costs can no longer be placed on Property taxes after Jan 2009. $4 million per year once built for just Anoka County.

“Easier to leverage federal funds’ Northstar was hard to fund (since it didn’t make any sense what-so-ever – ED)

Projects- Northstar operating costs; Fridley FOley & Ramsey stations; Duluth passenger rails; extra cars for Northstar in case it is successful ; Rush line land acquisition an other theoretical rail lines.

10:03 – Questions from board members.

LeDoux brings up the Sports Center again. 3M Championship. Using the typical line of getting visitors to the County to pay, “instead of sticking it to the Property Owners only”.

Berg: $8.1 million levied on the property taxes, only a “significant portion” may be removed, not all.

(Once again, Northstar will not be going to Blaine!!!!!!!!!!! LeDoux just said they’d be using it)

Berg just said that this new tax, allowed by the Statute, is the only way for funding this besides Property Taxes. (Lie! They could levy the tax, but they could do this with a voter levy!)

Comm. Rhonda S. just asked to table the motion until a public hearing can be held. 2nd by Comm. West. (not debatable) Failed by voice vote. (Pretty sure it was 5-2 against)

Chair Berg is refusing to allow public comments.

10:10 – Kordiak giving statements: Will support it. “Can’t build our way out of transportation problems.”

10:13 Rhonda move to allow public to speak and a roll call vote. (clarify to allow public who is here to speak for 2 minutes.)

Failed Lang, Rhonda, West voted to allow public comments. (needed 4 votes)

Comm. Rhonda is questioning the weighted voting and how Hennepin and Ramsey could run over Anoka with the 63% vote. Moves to amend the Joint Powers agreement to remove the weighted votin. “Votes would be equally divided between the Counties and Met Council.” 2nd’ed by West. (Berg is trying to outfox Rhinda on the founding father’s vision for a representative government. WRONG move Berg!)

Berg is bringing up taking this off the property tax again. The motion is simply to give Anoka an equal representation on the Joint Powers board. (Does he know that this deal would fall apart if all Counties are represented equally??????)

Failed by voice vote. Sounded like 5 to 2 again.

We’re now debating the original motion to approve the Joint Powers Agreement.

Erhart is givig a prepared speech about the congestion. Talking about the congestion in Anoka County. States that this bill will help relieve that congestion.

(The Rail to Salvation That is the T-Shirt I want to make and snd these COmmissioners right now. They have YET to mention building or expanding one single road to help congestion. They have no intentions to build any new roads to help citizens commute. They are only entering this Joint Powers bureaucracy to build rail lines. )

10:38 – Comm. Rhonda is giving a great speech just shredding this whole deal. She’s exposing the sham it is. (I will try to get a copy of her remarks to post. )

10:41 – Rhonda made a motion to reduce the Rail Athority levy dollar for dollar with the revenue from this tax increase. 2nd’ed by West. This was made to offset the Property taxes, and that is key because all those who support this say they do so  to reduce property taxes. Berg says it isn’t dollar for dollar.

Erhart wants us to get out of our automobiles. He wants to build all these ‘transitways’ so people don’t have to own a car. He says that it is silly to have this debate here today. Calls it silly and claims that ‘it is the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer”.)
Motion fails by voice vote.

Berg is now cutting off debate and calling the vote on the Joint Powers.

Passes passes 5-2 West and Rhonda voted against it. We’re in the Joint Powers now)

And now on to the Sales Tax increase.

Rhonda moves to table it pending public hearings.

Failed by voice vote.

Vote on the Tax Increase

Passed 5-2 West & Rhonda voted against the tax increase.

And there you go. So much for Democracy.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 25th, 2008 at 9:24 am and is filed under Know Thy Enemy, Minnesota, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.