1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to taxation; reducing the class rates 
  1.3             applicable to certain rental residential property; 
  1.4             adjusting the computation of homestead and 
  1.5             agricultural credit aid to compensate taxing 
  1.6             jurisdictions for revenue lost due to the class rate 
  1.7             change; amending Minnesota Statutes 1999 Supplement, 
  1.8             sections 273.13, subdivision 25; and 273.1398, 
  1.9             subdivision 1a. 
  1.10  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.11     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1999 Supplement, section 
  1.12  273.13, subdivision 25, is amended to read: 
  1.13     Subd. 25.  [CLASS 4.] (a) Class 4a property is residential 
  1.14  real estate that is used or held by the owner or by the tenants 
  1.15  or lessees of the owner as a residence for rental periods of 30 
  1.16  days or more, to the extent of the first $76,000 of market value 
  1.17  of each unit.  Class 4a property has a class rate of one percent.
  1.18     Class 4ab is residential real estate containing four or 
  1.19  more units and used or held for use by the owner or by the 
  1.20  tenants or lessees of the owner as a residence for rental 
  1.21  periods of 30 days or more to the extent the value of any such 
  1.22  unit exceeds $76,000.  Class 4a 4ab also includes hospitals 
  1.23  licensed under sections 144.50 to 144.56, other than hospitals 
  1.24  exempt under section 272.02, and contiguous property used for 
  1.25  hospital purposes, without regard to whether the property has 
  1.26  been platted or subdivided.  Class 4a 4ab property in a city 
  1.27  with a population of 5,000 or less, that is (1) located outside 
  2.1   of the metropolitan area, as defined in section 473.121, 
  2.2   subdivision 2, or outside any county contiguous to the 
  2.3   metropolitan area, and (2) whose city boundary is at least 15 
  2.4   miles from the boundary of any city with a population greater 
  2.5   than 5,000 has a class rate of 2.15 percent of market value.  
  2.6   All other class 4a 4ab property has a class rate of 2.4 percent 
  2.7   of market value.  For purposes of this paragraph, population has 
  2.8   the same meaning given in section 477A.011, subdivision 3. 
  2.9      (b) Class 4b includes: 
  2.10     (1) residential real estate containing less than four units 
  2.11  that does not qualify as class 4a or 4bb, other than seasonal 
  2.12  residential, and recreational; 
  2.13     (2) manufactured homes not classified under any other 
  2.14  provision; 
  2.15     (3) a dwelling, garage, and surrounding one acre of 
  2.16  property on a nonhomestead farm classified under subdivision 23, 
  2.17  paragraph (b) containing two or three units; 
  2.18     (4) unimproved property that is classified residential as 
  2.19  determined under subdivision 33.  
  2.20     Class 4b property has a class rate of 1.65 percent of 
  2.21  market value.  
  2.22     (c) Class 4bb includes is that portion of the following 
  2.23  types of property that does not qualify as class 4a property 
  2.24  because its market value exceeds $76,000: 
  2.25     (1) nonhomestead residential real estate containing one 
  2.26  unit, other than seasonal residential, and recreational; and 
  2.27     (2) a single family dwelling, garage, and surrounding one 
  2.28  acre of property on a nonhomestead farm classified under 
  2.29  subdivision 23, paragraph (b). 
  2.30     Class 4bb has a class rate of 1.2 percent on the first 
  2.31  $76,000 of market value and a class rate of 1.65 percent of its 
  2.32  market value that exceeds $76,000. 
  2.33     Property that has been classified as seasonal recreational 
  2.34  residential property at any time during which it has been owned 
  2.35  by the current owner or spouse of the current owner does not 
  2.36  qualify for class 4a or 4bb. 
  3.1      (d) Class 4c property includes: 
  3.2      (1) except as provided in subdivision 22, paragraph (c), 
  3.3   real property devoted to temporary and seasonal residential 
  3.4   occupancy for recreation purposes, including real property 
  3.5   devoted to temporary and seasonal residential occupancy for 
  3.6   recreation purposes and not devoted to commercial purposes for 
  3.7   more than 250 days in the year preceding the year of 
  3.8   assessment.  For purposes of this clause, property is devoted to 
  3.9   a commercial purpose on a specific day if any portion of the 
  3.10  property is used for residential occupancy, and a fee is charged 
  3.11  for residential occupancy.  In order for a property to be 
  3.12  classified as class 4c, seasonal recreational residential for 
  3.13  commercial purposes, at least 40 percent of the annual gross 
  3.14  lodging receipts related to the property must be from business 
  3.15  conducted during 90 consecutive days and either (i) at least 60 
  3.16  percent of all paid bookings by lodging guests during the year 
  3.17  must be for periods of at least two consecutive nights; or (ii) 
  3.18  at least 20 percent of the annual gross receipts must be from 
  3.19  charges for rental of fish houses, boats and motors, 
  3.20  snowmobiles, downhill or cross-country ski equipment, or charges 
  3.21  for marina services, launch services, and guide services, or the 
  3.22  sale of bait and fishing tackle.  For purposes of this 
  3.23  determination, a paid booking of five or more nights shall be 
  3.24  counted as two bookings.  Class 4c also includes commercial use 
  3.25  real property used exclusively for recreational purposes in 
  3.26  conjunction with class 4c property devoted to temporary and 
  3.27  seasonal residential occupancy for recreational purposes, up to 
  3.28  a total of two acres, provided the property is not devoted to 
  3.29  commercial recreational use for more than 250 days in the year 
  3.30  preceding the year of assessment and is located within two miles 
  3.31  of the class 4c property with which it is used.  Class 4c 
  3.32  property classified in this clause also includes the remainder 
  3.33  of class 1c resorts provided that the entire property including 
  3.34  that portion of the property classified as class 1c also meets 
  3.35  the requirements for class 4c under this clause; otherwise the 
  3.36  entire property is classified as class 3.  Owners of real 
  4.1   property devoted to temporary and seasonal residential occupancy 
  4.2   for recreation purposes and all or a portion of which was 
  4.3   devoted to commercial purposes for not more than 250 days in the 
  4.4   year preceding the year of assessment desiring classification as 
  4.5   class 1c or 4c, must submit a declaration to the assessor 
  4.6   designating the cabins or units occupied for 250 days or less in 
  4.7   the year preceding the year of assessment by January 15 of the 
  4.8   assessment year.  Those cabins or units and a proportionate 
  4.9   share of the land on which they are located will be designated 
  4.10  class 1c or 4c as otherwise provided.  The remainder of the 
  4.11  cabins or units and a proportionate share of the land on which 
  4.12  they are located will be designated as class 3a.  The owner of 
  4.13  property desiring designation as class 1c or 4c property must 
  4.14  provide guest registers or other records demonstrating that the 
  4.15  units for which class 1c or 4c designation is sought were not 
  4.16  occupied for more than 250 days in the year preceding the 
  4.17  assessment if so requested.  The portion of a property operated 
  4.18  as a (1) restaurant, (2) bar, (3) gift shop, and (4) other 
  4.19  nonresidential facility operated on a commercial basis not 
  4.20  directly related to temporary and seasonal residential occupancy 
  4.21  for recreation purposes shall not qualify for class 1c or 4c; 
  4.22     (2) qualified property used as a golf course if: 
  4.23     (i) it is open to the public on a daily fee basis.  It may 
  4.24  charge membership fees or dues, but a membership fee may not be 
  4.25  required in order to use the property for golfing, and its green 
  4.26  fees for golfing must be comparable to green fees typically 
  4.27  charged by municipal courses; and 
  4.28     (ii) it meets the requirements of section 273.112, 
  4.29  subdivision 3, paragraph (d). 
  4.30     A structure used as a clubhouse, restaurant, or place of 
  4.31  refreshment in conjunction with the golf course is classified as 
  4.32  class 3a property; 
  4.33     (3) real property up to a maximum of one acre of land owned 
  4.34  by a nonprofit community service oriented organization; provided 
  4.35  that the property is not used for a revenue-producing activity 
  4.36  for more than six days in the calendar year preceding the year 
  5.1   of assessment and the property is not used for residential 
  5.2   purposes on either a temporary or permanent basis.  For purposes 
  5.3   of this clause, a "nonprofit community service oriented 
  5.4   organization" means any corporation, society, association, 
  5.5   foundation, or institution organized and operated exclusively 
  5.6   for charitable, religious, fraternal, civic, or educational 
  5.7   purposes, and which is exempt from federal income taxation 
  5.8   pursuant to section 501(c)(3), (10), or (19) of the Internal 
  5.9   Revenue Code of 1986, as amended through December 31, 1990.  For 
  5.10  purposes of this clause, "revenue-producing activities" shall 
  5.11  include but not be limited to property or that portion of the 
  5.12  property that is used as an on-sale intoxicating liquor or 3.2 
  5.13  percent malt liquor establishment licensed under chapter 340A, a 
  5.14  restaurant open to the public, bowling alley, a retail store, 
  5.15  gambling conducted by organizations licensed under chapter 349, 
  5.16  an insurance business, or office or other space leased or rented 
  5.17  to a lessee who conducts a for-profit enterprise on the 
  5.18  premises.  Any portion of the property which is used for 
  5.19  revenue-producing activities for more than six days in the 
  5.20  calendar year preceding the year of assessment shall be assessed 
  5.21  as class 3a.  The use of the property for social events open 
  5.22  exclusively to members and their guests for periods of less than 
  5.23  24 hours, when an admission is not charged nor any revenues are 
  5.24  received by the organization shall not be considered a 
  5.25  revenue-producing activity; 
  5.26     (4) post-secondary student housing of not more than one 
  5.27  acre of land that is owned by a nonprofit corporation organized 
  5.28  under chapter 317A and is used exclusively by a student 
  5.29  cooperative, sorority, or fraternity for on-campus housing or 
  5.30  housing located within two miles of the border of a college 
  5.31  campus; 
  5.32     (5) manufactured home parks as defined in section 327.14, 
  5.33  subdivision 3; and 
  5.34     (6) real property that is actively and exclusively devoted 
  5.35  to indoor fitness, health, social, recreational, and related 
  5.36  uses, is owned and operated by a not-for-profit corporation, and 
  6.1   is located within the metropolitan area as defined in section 
  6.2   473.121, subdivision 2. 
  6.3      Class 4c property has a class rate of 1.65 percent of 
  6.4   market value, except that (i) each parcel of seasonal 
  6.5   residential recreational property not used for commercial 
  6.6   purposes has the same class rates as class 4bb property, (ii) 
  6.7   manufactured home parks assessed under clause (5) have the same 
  6.8   class rate as class 4b property, and (iii) property described in 
  6.9   paragraph (d), clause (4), has the same class rate as the rate 
  6.10  applicable to the first tier of class 4bb nonhomestead 
  6.11  residential real estate under paragraph (c).  
  6.12     (e) Class 4d property is qualifying low-income rental 
  6.13  housing certified to the assessor by the housing finance agency 
  6.14  under sections 273.126 and 462A.071.  Class 4d includes land in 
  6.15  proportion to the total market value of the building that is 
  6.16  qualifying low-income rental housing.  For all properties 
  6.17  qualifying as class 4d, the market value determined by the 
  6.18  assessor must be based on the normal approach to value using 
  6.19  normal unrestricted rents. 
  6.20     Class 4d property has a class rate of one percent of market 
  6.21  value.  
  6.22     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1999 Supplement, section 
  6.23  273.1398, subdivision 1a, is amended to read: 
  6.24     Subd. 1a.  [TAX BASE DIFFERENTIAL.] (a) For aids payable in 
  6.25  2000, the tax base differential is: 
  6.26     (1) 0.45 percent of the assessment year 1998 taxable market 
  6.27  value of class 2a agricultural homestead property, excluding the 
  6.28  house, garage, and surrounding one acre of land, between 
  6.29  $115,000 and $600,000 and over 320 acres, minus the value over 
  6.30  $600,000 that is less than 320 acres; plus 
  6.31     (2) 0.5 percent of the assessment year 1998 taxable market 
  6.32  value of noncommercial seasonal recreational residential 
  6.33  property over $75,000 in value; plus 
  6.34     (3) for purposes of computing the fiscal disparity 
  6.35  adjustment only, 0.2 percent of the assessment year 1998 taxable 
  6.36  market value of class 3 commercial-industrial property over 
  7.1   $150,000. 
  7.2      (b) For the purposes of the distribution of homestead and 
  7.3   agricultural credit aid for aids payable in 2000, the 
  7.4   commissioner of revenue shall use the best information available 
  7.5   as of June 30, 1999, to make an estimate of the value described 
  7.6   in paragraph (a), clause (1).  The commissioner shall adjust the 
  7.7   distribution of homestead and agricultural credit aid for aids 
  7.8   payable in 2001 and subsequent years if new information 
  7.9   regarding the value described in paragraph (a), clause (1), 
  7.10  becomes available after June 30, 1999. 
  7.11     (c) For aids payable in 2001, the tax base differential is 
  7.12  determined for any property that had been classified as class 
  7.13  4a, 4b, or 4bb property under section 273.13, subdivision 25, 
  7.14  for taxes levied in 1999, payable in 2000, as the difference 
  7.15  between the percentage class rate applicable for taxes levied in 
  7.16  1999, payable in 2000, and one percent. 
  7.17     Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  7.18     Section 1 is effective for taxes levied in 2000, payable in 
  7.19  2001, and thereafter.