1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to townships; clarifying levy and spending 
  1.3             authority; defining total revenue; amending Minnesota 
  1.4             Statutes 2002, sections 365.43, subdivision 1; 365.431.
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 365.43, 
  1.7   subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [LEVIED AMOUNT IS SPENDING LIMIT TOTAL 
  1.9   REVENUE DEFINED.] A town must not contract debts or spend more 
  1.10  money in a year than the taxes levied for the year its total 
  1.11  revenue without a favorable vote of a majority of the town's 
  1.12  electors.  In this section, "total revenue" means property taxes 
  1.13  payable in that year as well as amounts received from all other 
  1.14  sources and amounts carried forward from the last year. 
  1.15     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 365.431, is 
  1.16  amended to read: 
  1.17     365.431 [AMOUNT VOTED AT MEETING IS TAX LIMIT.] 
  1.18     Except as otherwise authorized by law, the tax for town 
  1.19  purposes must not be more than the amount voted to be raised at 
  1.20  the annual town meeting.