1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to taxation; authorizing tax abatements for 
  1.3             property that has lost value due to flood damage; 
  1.4             providing for state reimbursement to local units of 
  1.5             government; authorizing delay of certain local 
  1.6             government reports, elections, and meetings; creating 
  1.7             a priority for flooded areas in allocation of 
  1.8             low-income housing credits; providing an effective 
  1.9             date; appropriating money; amending Laws 1997, chapter 
  1.10            75, section 2. 
  1.11  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.12     Section 1.  [PROPERTY TAX ABATEMENTS.] 
  1.13     Subdivision 1.  [AUTHORIZATION.] Notwithstanding the 
  1.14  requirements of Minnesota Statutes, section 375.192, the county 
  1.15  board of a qualified county shall grant abatements of the full 
  1.16  amount of taxes on eligible property for taxes payable in 1997 
  1.17  as provided in this section.  The owner of the property is not 
  1.18  required to apply for the abatement. 
  1.19     Subd. 2.  [DEFINITIONS.] (a) As used in this section, the 
  1.20  terms defined in this subdivision have the meanings given them. 
  1.21     (b) "Qualified county" means any county that has been 
  1.22  designated between April 1, 1997, and May 1, 1997, by the 
  1.23  director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency as eligible 
  1.24  for federal aid due to flooding. 
  1.25     (c) "Eligible property" means a parcel of taxable property 
  1.26  located in a qualified county that contains a structure that has 
  1.27  been determined by the assessor to have lost over 50 percent of 
  1.28  its market value due to flooding and flood damage.  In the case 
  2.1   of agricultural property, the abatement is limited to the taxes 
  2.2   on the parcel attributable to the value of the house, garage, 
  2.3   and surrounding one acre, if the house has lost over 50 percent 
  2.4   of its market value, and the tax attributable to the value of 
  2.5   any farm buildings that have lost over 50 percent of their 
  2.6   market value. 
  2.7      Subd. 3.  [ASSESSORS' DUTIES.] As soon as practicable, 
  2.8   local and county assessors in eligible counties shall notify the 
  2.9   county board of the identity of all parcels of eligible property.
  2.10     Sec. 2.  [LOCAL GOVERNMENT REIMBURSEMENT.] 
  2.11     Subdivision 1.  [AUTHORIZATION.] Each local unit of 
  2.12  government, including a home rule charter or statutory city, 
  2.13  county, school district, or special taxing district, that had 
  2.14  levied a tax payable in 1997 on eligible property that receives 
  2.15  an abatement under section 1 is eligible to receive 
  2.16  reimbursement under this section to compensate for the revenue 
  2.17  foregone as a consequence of the abatements. 
  2.18     Subd. 2.  [PROCESS.] To obtain reimbursement under this 
  2.19  section, each qualified county must apply to the commissioner of 
  2.20  revenue by September 1, 1997, on behalf of all local governments 
  2.21  containing property that received abatements under section 1.  
  2.22  The amount of the reimbursement is equal to the sum of taxes 
  2.23  levied by all local units of government within the county that 
  2.24  were abated under section 1.  The commissioner of revenue must 
  2.25  make payments of the reimbursement amounts to the counties upon 
  2.26  receipt of the reimbursement payment within 30 days of receipt 
  2.27  of the application.  The county must distribute to each local 
  2.28  unit of government its share of the reimbursement. 
  2.29     Subd. 3.  [APPROPRIATION.] A sum sufficient to pay the 
  2.30  reimbursement under this section is appropriated from the 
  2.31  general fund to the commissioner of revenue. 
  2.32     Sec. 3.  [DELAY OF FINANCIAL REPORT FILING.] 
  2.33     For any city or town located in whole or in part within a 
  2.34  county that has been designated between April 1, 1997, and May 
  2.35  1, 1997, by the director of the Federal Emergency Management 
  2.36  Agency as eligible for federal aid due to flooding, the deadline 
  3.1   by which financial reports are required to be filed under 
  3.2   Minnesota Statutes, section 471.697 or 471.698, is extended by 
  3.3   90 days. 
  3.4      Sec. 4.  [LOW-INCOME HOUSING CREDITS.] 
  3.5      For its 1998 allocation of low-income housing tax credits 
  3.6   through the greater Minnesota pool under Minnesota Statutes, 
  3.7   section 462A.222, the Minnesota housing finance agency must give 
  3.8   priority to projects located in areas that have lost low-income 
  3.9   housing due to the floods that occurred in this state during 
  3.10  1997. 
  3.11     Sec. 5.  [CANCELLATION OF GENERAL ELECTION AND ANNUAL 
  3.12  MEETING; INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 595, EAST GRAND FORKS.] 
  3.13     The May 20, 1997, general election and the July 1997 annual 
  3.14  meeting in independent school district No. 595, East Grand 
  3.15  Forks, are canceled.  All filings for that election are void and 
  3.16  all filing fees shall be returned to affected candidates.  The 
  3.17  general election shall be held on November 4, 1997, in 
  3.18  compliance with Minnesota Statutes, chapter 205A.  The annual 
  3.19  meeting of the board shall be held on the first Monday of 
  3.20  January 1998, or as soon thereafter as practicable.  The terms 
  3.21  of existing members whose terms would otherwise expire on July 
  3.22  1, 1997, shall be lengthened to expire on January 1, 1998, and 
  3.23  the terms of existing officers shall be lengthened to the 
  3.24  January 1998 annual meeting and until their successors are 
  3.25  elected and qualify. 
  3.26     Sec. 6.  Laws 1997, chapter 75, section 2, is amended to 
  3.27  read: 
  3.28     Sec. 2. [EFFECTIVE DATE; EXPIRATION.] 
  3.29     Section 1 is effective May 2, 1997, and expires January 1, 
  3.30  1998. 
  3.31     Sec. 7.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  3.32     Sections 1 to 4 are effective the day following final 
  3.33  enactment.  Section 5 is effective for independent school 
  3.34  district No. 595, East Grand Forks, the day after its compliance 
  3.35  with the requirements of Minnesota Statutes, section 645.021, 
  3.36  subdivision 3.