HF 686

as introduced - 86th Legislature (2009 - 2010) Posted on 02/09/2010 01:40am

A bill for an act
relating to taxation; emergency debt certificates; authorizing cities and counties
to issue certificates for unexpected revenue shortfalls; amending Minnesota
Statutes 2008, sections 275.065, subdivision 6; 475.58, subdivision 1; proposing
coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 475.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 275.065, subdivision 6, is amended to read:

Subd. 6.

Public hearing; adoption of budget and levy.

(a) For purposes of this
section, the following terms shall have the meanings given:

(1) "Initial hearing" means the first and primary hearing held to discuss the taxing
authority's proposed budget and proposed property tax levy for taxes payable in the
following year, or, for school districts, the current budget and the proposed property tax
levy for taxes payable in the following year.

(2) "Continuation hearing" means a hearing held to complete the initial hearing, if
the initial hearing is not completed on its scheduled date.

(3) "Subsequent hearing" means the hearing held to adopt the taxing authority's final
property tax levy, and, in the case of taxing authorities other than school districts, the final
budget, for taxes payable in the following year.

(b) Between November 29 and December 20, the governing bodies of a city that has a
population over 500, county, metropolitan special taxing districts as defined in subdivision
3, paragraph (i), and regional library districts shall each hold an initial public hearing
to discuss and seek public comment on its final budget and property tax levy for taxes
payable in the following year, and the governing body of the school district shall hold an
initial public hearing to review its current budget and proposed property tax levy for taxes
payable in the following year. The metropolitan special taxing districts shall be required to
hold only a single joint initial public hearing, the location of which will be determined by
the affected metropolitan agencies. A city, county, metropolitan special taxing district as
defined in subdivision 3, paragraph (i), regional library district established under section
134.201, or school district is not required to hold a public hearing under this subdivision
unless its proposed property tax levy for taxes payable in the following year, as certified
under subdivision 1, has increased over its final property tax levy for taxes payable in the
current year by a percentage that is greater than the percentage increase in the implicit
price deflator for government consumption expenditures and gross investment for state
and local governments prepared by the Bureau of Economic Analysts of the United States
Department of Commerce for the 12-month period ending March 31 of the current year.

(c) The initial hearing must be held after 5:00 p.m. if scheduled on a day other than
Saturday. No initial hearing may be held on a Sunday.

(d) At the initial hearing under this subdivision, the percentage increase in property
taxes proposed by the taxing authority, if any, and the specific purposes for which property
tax revenues are being increased must be discussed. During the discussion, the governing
body shall hear comments regarding a proposed increase and explain the reasons for the
proposed increase. The public shall be allowed to speak and to ask questions. At the public
hearing, the school district must also provide and discuss information on the distribution
of its revenues by revenue source, and the distribution of its spending by program area.

(e) If the initial hearing is not completed on its scheduled date, the taxing authority
must announce, prior to adjournment of the hearing, the date, time, and place for the
continuation of the hearing. The continuation hearing must be held at least five business
days but no more than 14 business days after the initial hearing. A continuation hearing
may not be held later than December 20 except as provided in paragraphs (f) and (g).
A continuation hearing must be held after 5:00 p.m. if scheduled on a day other than
Saturday. No continuation hearing may be held on a Sunday.

(f) The governing body of a county shall hold its initial hearing on the first Thursday
in December each year, and may hold additional initial hearings on other dates before
December 20 if necessary for the convenience of county residents. If the county needs a
continuation of its hearing, the continuation hearing shall be held on the third Tuesday
in December. If the third Tuesday in December falls on December 21, the county's
continuation hearing shall be held on Monday, December 20.

(g) The metropolitan special taxing districts shall hold a joint initial public hearing
on the first Wednesday of December. A continuation hearing, if necessary, shall be held on
the second Wednesday of December even if that second Wednesday is after December 10.

(h) The county auditor shall provide for the coordination of initial and continuation
hearing dates for all school districts and cities within the county to prevent conflicts under
clauses (i) and (j).

(i) By August 10, each school board and the board of the regional library district
shall certify to the county auditors of the counties in which the school district or regional
library district is located the dates on which it elects to hold its initial hearing and any
continuation hearing. If a school board or regional library district does not certify these
dates by August 10, the auditor will assign the initial and continuation hearing dates. The
dates elected or assigned must not conflict with the initial and continuation hearing dates
of the county or the metropolitan special taxing districts.

(j) By August 20, the county auditor shall notify the clerks of the cities within the
county of the dates on which school districts and regional library districts have elected to
hold their initial and continuation hearings. At the time a city certifies its proposed levy
under subdivision 1 it shall certify the dates on which it elects to hold its initial hearing and
any continuation hearing. Until September 15, the first and second Mondays of December
are reserved for the use of the cities. If a city does not certify its hearing dates by
September 15, the auditor shall assign the initial and continuation hearing dates. The dates
elected or assigned for the initial hearing must not conflict with the initial hearing dates
of the county, metropolitan special taxing districts, regional library districts, or school
districts within which the city is located. To the extent possible, the dates of the city's
continuation hearing should not conflict with the continuation hearing dates of the county,
metropolitan special taxing districts, regional library districts, or school districts within
which the city is located. This paragraph does not apply to cities of 500 population or less.

(k) The county initial hearing date and the city, metropolitan special taxing district,
regional library district, and school district initial hearing dates must be designated on
the notices required under subdivision 3. The continuation hearing dates need not be
stated on the notices.

(l) At a subsequent hearing, each county, school district, city over 500 population,
and metropolitan special taxing district may amend its proposed property tax levy
and must adopt a final property tax levy. Each county, city over 500 population, and
metropolitan special taxing district may also amend its proposed budget and must adopt a
final budget at the subsequent hearing. The final property tax levy must be adopted prior
to adopting the final budget. A school district is not required to adopt its final budget at the
subsequent hearing. The subsequent hearing of a taxing authority must be held on a date
subsequent to the date of the taxing authority's initial public hearing. If a continuation
hearing is held, the subsequent hearing must be held either immediately following the
continuation hearing or on a date subsequent to the continuation hearing. The subsequent
hearing may be held at a regularly scheduled board or council meeting or at a special
meeting scheduled for the purposes of the subsequent hearing. The subsequent hearing
of a taxing authority does not have to be coordinated by the county auditor to prevent a
conflict with an initial hearing, a continuation hearing, or a subsequent hearing of any
other taxing authority. All subsequent hearings must be held prior to five working days
after December 20 of the levy year. The date, time, and place of the subsequent hearing
must be announced at the initial public hearing or at the continuation hearing.

(m) The property tax levy certified under section 275.07 by a city of any population,
county, metropolitan special taxing district, regional library district, or school district
must not exceed the proposed levy determined under subdivision 1, except by an amount
up to the sum of the following amounts:

(1) the amount of a school district levy whose voters approved a referendum to
increase taxes under section 123B.63, subdivision 3, or 126C.17, subdivision 9, after
the proposed levy was certified;

(2) the amount of a city or county levy approved by the voters after the proposed
levy was certified;

(3) the amount of a levy to pay principal and interest on bonds approved by the
voters under section 475.58 after the proposed levy was certified;

(4) the amount of a levy to pay costs due to a natural disaster occurring after the
proposed levy was certified, if that amount is approved by the commissioner of revenue
under subdivision 6a;

(5) the amount of a levy to pay tort judgments against a taxing authority that become
final after the proposed levy was certified, if the amount is approved by the commissioner
of revenue under subdivision 6a;

(6) the amount of an increase in levy limits certified to the taxing authority by the
commissioner of education or the commissioner of revenue after the proposed levy was
certified; deleted text begin and
deleted text end

(7) the amount required under section 126C.55 new text begin ; and
new text end

new text begin (8) the levy to pay emergency debt certificates under section 475.755 authorized and
issued after the proposed levy was certified new text end .

(n) This subdivision does not apply to towns and special taxing districts other than
regional library districts and metropolitan special taxing districts.

(o) Notwithstanding the requirements of this section, the employer is required to
meet and negotiate over employee compensation as provided for in chapter 179A.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 475.58, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Approval by electors; exceptions.

Obligations authorized by law or
charter may be issued by any municipality upon obtaining the approval of a majority of
the electors voting on the question of issuing the obligations, but an election shall not be
required to authorize obligations issued:

(1) to pay any unpaid judgment against the municipality;

(2) for refunding obligations;

(3) for an improvement or improvement program, which obligation is payable wholly
or partly from the proceeds of special assessments levied upon property specially benefited
by the improvement or by an improvement within the improvement program, or from tax
increments, as defined in section 469.174, subdivision 25, including obligations which are
the general obligations of the municipality, if the municipality is entitled to reimbursement
in whole or in part from the proceeds of such special assessments or tax increments and
not less than 20 percent of the cost of the improvement or the improvement program is to
be assessed against benefited property or is to be paid from the proceeds of federal grant
funds or a combination thereof, or is estimated to be received from tax increments;

(4) payable wholly from the income of revenue producing conveniences;

(5) under the provisions of a home rule charter which permits the issuance of
obligations of the municipality without election;

(6) under the provisions of a law which permits the issuance of obligations of a
municipality without an election;

(7) to fund pension or retirement fund or postemployment benefit liabilities pursuant
to section 475.52, subdivision 6;

(8) under a capital improvement plan under section 373.40; deleted text begin and deleted text end

(9) under sections 469.1813 to 469.1815 (property tax abatement authority bonds), if
the proceeds of the bonds are not used for a purpose prohibited under section 469.176,
subdivision 4g, paragraph (b) new text begin ; and
new text end

new text begin (10) under section 475.755 new text end .

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end

Sec. 3.

new text begin [475.755] EMERGENCY DEBT CERTIFICATES.
new text end

new text begin (a) If at any time during a fiscal year the receipts of a local government are
reasonably expected to be reduced below the amount provided in the local government's
budget when the final property tax levy to be collected during the fiscal year was certified
and the receipts are insufficient to meet the expenses incurred or to be incurred during the
fiscal year, the governing body of the local government may authorize and sell certificates
of indebtedness to mature within two years or less from the end of the fiscal year in which
the certificates are issued. The maximum principal amount of the certificates that it may
issue in a fiscal year is limited to the expected reduction in receipts plus the cost of
issuance. The certificates may be issued in the manner and on the terms the governing
body determines by resolution.
new text end

new text begin (b) The governing body of the local government shall levy taxes for the payment of
principal and interest on the certificates in accordance with section 475.61.
new text end

new text begin (c) The certificates are not to be included in the net debt of the issuing local
government.
new text end

new text begin (d) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the meanings given:
new text end

new text begin (1) "Local government" means a statutory or home rule charter city, a town, or
a county.
new text end

new text begin (2) "Receipts" includes the following amounts scheduled to be received by the
local government for the fiscal year from:
new text end

new text begin (i) taxes;
new text end

new text begin (ii) aid payments previously certified by the state to be paid to the local government;
new text end

new text begin (iii) state reimbursement payments for property tax credits; and
new text end

new text begin (iv) any other source.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end