1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to taxation; reducing certain property tax 
  1.3             class rates; increasing certain aids to local 
  1.4             governments and school districts; amending Minnesota 
  1.5             Statutes 1998, sections 126C.13, subdivision 1; 
  1.6             273.13, subdivisions 22 and 25; 273.1382, subdivision 
  1.7             1; and 273.1398, subdivision 1a. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 126C.13, 
  1.10  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.11     Subdivision 1.  [GENERAL EDUCATION TAX RATE.] The 
  1.12  commissioner must establish the general education tax rate by 
  1.13  July 1 of each year for levies payable in the following year.  
  1.14  The general education tax capacity rate must be a rate, rounded 
  1.15  up to the nearest hundredth of a percent, that, when applied to 
  1.16  the adjusted net tax capacity for all districts, raises the 
  1.17  amount specified in this subdivision.  The general education tax 
  1.18  rate must be the rate that raises $1,385,500,000 for fiscal year 
  1.19  1999, $1,325,500,000 for fiscal year 2000, and $1,387,100,000 
  1.20  $1,230,100,000 for fiscal year 2001, and later fiscal years.  
  1.21  The general education tax rate may not be changed due to changes 
  1.22  or corrections made to a district's adjusted net tax capacity 
  1.23  after the tax rate has been established.  If the levy target for 
  1.24  fiscal year 1999 or fiscal year 2000 is changed by another law 
  1.25  enacted during the 1997 or 1998 session, the commissioner shall 
  1.26  reduce the general education levy target in this section by the 
  2.1   amount of the reduction in the enacted law. 
  2.2      Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 273.13, 
  2.3   subdivision 22, is amended to read: 
  2.4      Subd. 22.  [CLASS 1.] (a) Except as provided in subdivision 
  2.5   23, real estate which is residential and used for homestead 
  2.6   purposes is class 1.  The market value of class 1a property must 
  2.7   be determined based upon the value of the house, garage, and 
  2.8   land.  
  2.9      The first $75,000 of market value of class 1a property has 
  2.10  a net class rate of one percent of its market value; and the 
  2.11  market value of class 1a property that exceeds $75,000 has a 
  2.12  class rate of 1.7 1.5 percent of its market value.  
  2.13     (b) Class 1b property includes homestead real estate or 
  2.14  homestead manufactured homes used for the purposes of a 
  2.15  homestead by 
  2.16     (1) any blind person, or the blind person and the blind 
  2.17  person's spouse; or 
  2.18     (2) any person, hereinafter referred to as "veteran," who: 
  2.19     (i) served in the active military or naval service of the 
  2.20  United States; and 
  2.21     (ii) is entitled to compensation under the laws and 
  2.22  regulations of the United States for permanent and total 
  2.23  service-connected disability due to the loss, or loss of use, by 
  2.24  reason of amputation, ankylosis, progressive muscular 
  2.25  dystrophies, or paralysis, of both lower extremities, such as to 
  2.26  preclude motion without the aid of braces, crutches, canes, or a 
  2.27  wheelchair; and 
  2.28     (iii) has acquired a special housing unit with special 
  2.29  fixtures or movable facilities made necessary by the nature of 
  2.30  the veteran's disability, or the surviving spouse of the 
  2.31  deceased veteran for as long as the surviving spouse retains the 
  2.32  special housing unit as a homestead; or 
  2.33     (3) any person who: 
  2.34     (i) is permanently and totally disabled and 
  2.35     (ii) receives 90 percent or more of total income from 
  2.36     (A) aid from any state as a result of that disability; or 
  3.1      (B) supplemental security income for the disabled; or 
  3.2      (C) workers' compensation based on a finding of total and 
  3.3   permanent disability; or 
  3.4      (D) social security disability, including the amount of a 
  3.5   disability insurance benefit which is converted to an old age 
  3.6   insurance benefit and any subsequent cost of living increases; 
  3.7   or 
  3.8      (E) aid under the federal Railroad Retirement Act of 1937, 
  3.9   United States Code Annotated, title 45, section 228b(a)5; or 
  3.10     (F) a pension from any local government retirement fund 
  3.11  located in the state of Minnesota as a result of that 
  3.12  disability; or 
  3.13     (G) pension, annuity, or other income paid as a result of 
  3.14  that disability from a private pension or disability plan, 
  3.15  including employer, employee, union, and insurance plans and 
  3.16     (iii) has household income as defined in section 290A.03, 
  3.17  subdivision 5, of $50,000 or less; or 
  3.18     (4) any person who is permanently and totally disabled and 
  3.19  whose household income as defined in section 290A.03, 
  3.20  subdivision 5, is 275 percent or less of the federal poverty 
  3.21  level. 
  3.22     Property is classified and assessed under clause (4) only 
  3.23  if the government agency or income-providing source certifies, 
  3.24  upon the request of the homestead occupant, that the homestead 
  3.25  occupant satisfies the disability requirements of this paragraph.
  3.26     Property is classified and assessed pursuant to clause (1) 
  3.27  only if the commissioner of economic security certifies to the 
  3.28  assessor that the homestead occupant satisfies the requirements 
  3.29  of this paragraph.  
  3.30     Permanently and totally disabled for the purpose of this 
  3.31  subdivision means a condition which is permanent in nature and 
  3.32  totally incapacitates the person from working at an occupation 
  3.33  which brings the person an income.  The first $32,000 market 
  3.34  value of class 1b property has a net class rate of .45 percent 
  3.35  of its market value.  The remaining market value of class 1b 
  3.36  property has a net class rate using the rates for class 1 or 
  4.1   class 2a property, whichever is appropriate, of similar market 
  4.2   value.  
  4.3      (c) Class 1c property is commercial use real property that 
  4.4   abuts a lakeshore line and is devoted to temporary and seasonal 
  4.5   residential occupancy for recreational purposes but not devoted 
  4.6   to commercial purposes for more than 250 days in the year 
  4.7   preceding the year of assessment, and that includes a portion 
  4.8   used as a homestead by the owner, which includes a dwelling 
  4.9   occupied as a homestead by a shareholder of a corporation that 
  4.10  owns the resort or a partner in a partnership that owns the 
  4.11  resort, even if the title to the homestead is held by the 
  4.12  corporation or partnership.  For purposes of this clause, 
  4.13  property is devoted to a commercial purpose on a specific day if 
  4.14  any portion of the property, excluding the portion used 
  4.15  exclusively as a homestead, is used for residential occupancy 
  4.16  and a fee is charged for residential occupancy.  Class 1c 
  4.17  property has a class rate of one percent of total market value 
  4.18  with the following limitation:  the area of the property must 
  4.19  not exceed 100 feet of lakeshore footage for each cabin or 
  4.20  campsite located on the property up to a total of 800 feet and 
  4.21  500 feet in depth, measured away from the lakeshore.  If any 
  4.22  portion of the class 1c resort property is classified as class 
  4.23  4c under subdivision 25, the entire property must meet the 
  4.24  requirements of subdivision 25, paragraph (d), clause (1), to 
  4.25  qualify for class 1c treatment under this paragraph. 
  4.26     (d) Class 1d property includes structures that meet all of 
  4.27  the following criteria: 
  4.28     (1) the structure is located on property that is classified 
  4.29  as agricultural property under section 273.13, subdivision 23; 
  4.30     (2) the structure is occupied exclusively by seasonal farm 
  4.31  workers during the time when they work on that farm, and the 
  4.32  occupants are not charged rent for the privilege of occupying 
  4.33  the property, provided that use of the structure for storage of 
  4.34  farm equipment and produce does not disqualify the property from 
  4.35  classification under this paragraph; 
  4.36     (3) the structure meets all applicable health and safety 
  5.1   requirements for the appropriate season; and 
  5.2      (4) the structure is not salable as residential property 
  5.3   because it does not comply with local ordinances relating to 
  5.4   location in relation to streets or roads. 
  5.5      The market value of class 1d property has the same class 
  5.6   rates as class 1a property under paragraph (a). 
  5.7      Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 273.13, 
  5.8   subdivision 25, is amended to read: 
  5.9      Subd. 25.  [CLASS 4.] (a) Class 4a is residential real 
  5.10  estate containing four or more units and used or held for use by 
  5.11  the owner or by the tenants or lessees of the owner as a 
  5.12  residence for rental periods of 30 days or more.  Class 4a also 
  5.13  includes hospitals licensed under sections 144.50 to 144.56, 
  5.14  other than hospitals exempt under section 272.02, and contiguous 
  5.15  property used for hospital purposes, without regard to whether 
  5.16  the property has been platted or subdivided.  Class 4a property 
  5.17  in a city with a population of 5,000 or less, that is (1) 
  5.18  located outside of the metropolitan area, as defined in section 
  5.19  473.121, subdivision 2, or outside any county contiguous to the 
  5.20  metropolitan area, and (2) whose city boundary is at least 15 
  5.21  miles from the boundary of any city with a population greater 
  5.22  than 5,000 has a class rate of 2.15 percent of market value.  
  5.23  All other Class 4a property has a class rate of 2.5 two percent 
  5.24  of market value.  For purposes of this paragraph, population has 
  5.25  the same meaning given in section 477A.011, subdivision 3. 
  5.26     (b) Class 4b includes: 
  5.27     (1) residential real estate containing less than four units 
  5.28  that does not qualify as class 4bb, other than seasonal 
  5.29  residential, and recreational; 
  5.30     (2) manufactured homes not classified under any other 
  5.31  provision; 
  5.32     (3) a dwelling, garage, and surrounding one acre of 
  5.33  property on a nonhomestead farm classified under subdivision 23, 
  5.34  paragraph (b) containing two or three units; 
  5.35     (4) unimproved property that is classified residential as 
  5.36  determined under subdivision 33.  
  6.1      Class 4b property has a class rate of 1.7 percent of market 
  6.2   value.  
  6.3      (c) Class 4bb includes: 
  6.4      (1) nonhomestead residential real estate containing one 
  6.5   unit, other than seasonal residential, and recreational; and 
  6.6      (2) a single family dwelling, garage, and surrounding one 
  6.7   acre of property on a nonhomestead farm classified under 
  6.8   subdivision 23, paragraph (b). 
  6.9      Class 4bb has a class rate of 1.25 percent on the first 
  6.10  $75,000 of market value and a class rate of 1.7 percent of its 
  6.11  market value that exceeds $75,000. 
  6.12     Property that has been classified as seasonal recreational 
  6.13  residential property at any time during which it has been owned 
  6.14  by the current owner or spouse of the current owner does not 
  6.15  qualify for class 4bb. 
  6.16     (d) Class 4c property includes: 
  6.17     (1) except as provided in subdivision 22, paragraph (c), 
  6.18  real property devoted to temporary and seasonal residential 
  6.19  occupancy for recreation purposes, including real property 
  6.20  devoted to temporary and seasonal residential occupancy for 
  6.21  recreation purposes and not devoted to commercial purposes for 
  6.22  more than 250 days in the year preceding the year of 
  6.23  assessment.  For purposes of this clause, property is devoted to 
  6.24  a commercial purpose on a specific day if any portion of the 
  6.25  property is used for residential occupancy, and a fee is charged 
  6.26  for residential occupancy.  In order for a property to be 
  6.27  classified as class 4c, seasonal recreational residential for 
  6.28  commercial purposes, at least 40 percent of the annual gross 
  6.29  lodging receipts related to the property must be from business 
  6.30  conducted during 90 consecutive days and either (i) at least 60 
  6.31  percent of all paid bookings by lodging guests during the year 
  6.32  must be for periods of at least two consecutive nights; or (ii) 
  6.33  at least 20 percent of the annual gross receipts must be from 
  6.34  charges for rental of fish houses, boats and motors, 
  6.35  snowmobiles, downhill or cross-country ski equipment, or charges 
  6.36  for marina services, launch services, and guide services, or the 
  7.1   sale of bait and fishing tackle.  For purposes of this 
  7.2   determination, a paid booking of five or more nights shall be 
  7.3   counted as two bookings.  Class 4c also includes commercial use 
  7.4   real property used exclusively for recreational purposes in 
  7.5   conjunction with class 4c property devoted to temporary and 
  7.6   seasonal residential occupancy for recreational purposes, up to 
  7.7   a total of two acres, provided the property is not devoted to 
  7.8   commercial recreational use for more than 250 days in the year 
  7.9   preceding the year of assessment and is located within two miles 
  7.10  of the class 4c property with which it is used.  Class 4c 
  7.11  property classified in this clause also includes the remainder 
  7.12  of class 1c resorts provided that the entire property including 
  7.13  that portion of the property classified as class 1c also meets 
  7.14  the requirements for class 4c under this clause; otherwise the 
  7.15  entire property is classified as class 3.  Owners of real 
  7.16  property devoted to temporary and seasonal residential occupancy 
  7.17  for recreation purposes and all or a portion of which was 
  7.18  devoted to commercial purposes for not more than 250 days in the 
  7.19  year preceding the year of assessment desiring classification as 
  7.20  class 1c or 4c, must submit a declaration to the assessor 
  7.21  designating the cabins or units occupied for 250 days or less in 
  7.22  the year preceding the year of assessment by January 15 of the 
  7.23  assessment year.  Those cabins or units and a proportionate 
  7.24  share of the land on which they are located will be designated 
  7.25  class 1c or 4c as otherwise provided.  The remainder of the 
  7.26  cabins or units and a proportionate share of the land on which 
  7.27  they are located will be designated as class 3a.  The owner of 
  7.28  property desiring designation as class 1c or 4c property must 
  7.29  provide guest registers or other records demonstrating that the 
  7.30  units for which class 1c or 4c designation is sought were not 
  7.31  occupied for more than 250 days in the year preceding the 
  7.32  assessment if so requested.  The portion of a property operated 
  7.33  as a (1) restaurant, (2) bar, (3) gift shop, and (4) other 
  7.34  nonresidential facility operated on a commercial basis not 
  7.35  directly related to temporary and seasonal residential occupancy 
  7.36  for recreation purposes shall not qualify for class 1c or 4c; 
  8.1      (2) qualified property used as a golf course if: 
  8.2      (i) it is open to the public on a daily fee basis.  It may 
  8.3   charge membership fees or dues, but a membership fee may not be 
  8.4   required in order to use the property for golfing, and its green 
  8.5   fees for golfing must be comparable to green fees typically 
  8.6   charged by municipal courses; and 
  8.7      (ii) it meets the requirements of section 273.112, 
  8.8   subdivision 3, paragraph (d). 
  8.9      A structure used as a clubhouse, restaurant, or place of 
  8.10  refreshment in conjunction with the golf course is classified as 
  8.11  class 3a property. 
  8.12     (3) real property up to a maximum of one acre of land owned 
  8.13  by a nonprofit community service oriented organization; provided 
  8.14  that the property is not used for a revenue-producing activity 
  8.15  for more than six days in the calendar year preceding the year 
  8.16  of assessment and the property is not used for residential 
  8.17  purposes on either a temporary or permanent basis.  For purposes 
  8.18  of this clause, a "nonprofit community service oriented 
  8.19  organization" means any corporation, society, association, 
  8.20  foundation, or institution organized and operated exclusively 
  8.21  for charitable, religious, fraternal, civic, or educational 
  8.22  purposes, and which is exempt from federal income taxation 
  8.23  pursuant to section 501(c)(3), (10), or (19) of the Internal 
  8.24  Revenue Code of 1986, as amended through December 31, 1990.  For 
  8.25  purposes of this clause, "revenue-producing activities" shall 
  8.26  include but not be limited to property or that portion of the 
  8.27  property that is used as an on-sale intoxicating liquor or 3.2 
  8.28  percent malt liquor establishment licensed under chapter 340A, a 
  8.29  restaurant open to the public, bowling alley, a retail store, 
  8.30  gambling conducted by organizations licensed under chapter 349, 
  8.31  an insurance business, or office or other space leased or rented 
  8.32  to a lessee who conducts a for-profit enterprise on the 
  8.33  premises.  Any portion of the property which is used for 
  8.34  revenue-producing activities for more than six days in the 
  8.35  calendar year preceding the year of assessment shall be assessed 
  8.36  as class 3a.  The use of the property for social events open 
  9.1   exclusively to members and their guests for periods of less than 
  9.2   24 hours, when an admission is not charged nor any revenues are 
  9.3   received by the organization shall not be considered a 
  9.4   revenue-producing activity; 
  9.5      (4) post-secondary student housing of not more than one 
  9.6   acre of land that is owned by a nonprofit corporation organized 
  9.7   under chapter 317A and is used exclusively by a student 
  9.8   cooperative, sorority, or fraternity for on-campus housing or 
  9.9   housing located within two miles of the border of a college 
  9.10  campus; 
  9.11     (5) manufactured home parks as defined in section 327.14, 
  9.12  subdivision 3; and 
  9.13     (6) real property that is actively and exclusively devoted 
  9.14  to indoor fitness, health, social, recreational, and related 
  9.15  uses, is owned and operated by a not-for-profit corporation, and 
  9.16  is located within the metropolitan area as defined in section 
  9.17  473.121, subdivision 2. 
  9.18     Class 4c property has a class rate of 1.8 percent of market 
  9.19  value, except that (i) for each parcel of seasonal residential 
  9.20  recreational property not used for commercial purposes the first 
  9.21  $75,000 of market value has a class rate of 1.25 percent, and 
  9.22  the market value that exceeds $75,000 has a class rate of 2.2 
  9.23  percent, (ii) manufactured home parks assessed under clause (5) 
  9.24  have a class rate of two percent, and (iii) property described 
  9.25  in paragraph (d), clause (4), has the same class rate as the 
  9.26  rate applicable to the first tier of class 4bb nonhomestead 
  9.27  residential real estate under paragraph (c).  
  9.28     (e) Class 4d property is qualifying low-income rental 
  9.29  housing certified to the assessor by the housing finance agency 
  9.30  under sections 273.126 and 462A.071.  Class 4d includes land in 
  9.31  proportion to the total market value of the building that is 
  9.32  qualifying low-income rental housing.  For all properties 
  9.33  qualifying as class 4d, the market value determined by the 
  9.34  assessor must be based on the normal approach to value using 
  9.35  normal unrestricted rents. 
  9.36     Class 4d property has a class rate of one percent of market 
 10.1   value.  
 10.2      (f) Class 4e property consists of the residential portion 
 10.3   of any structure located within a city that was converted from 
 10.4   nonresidential use to residential use, provided that: 
 10.5      (1) the structure had formerly been used as a warehouse; 
 10.6      (2) the structure was originally constructed prior to 1940; 
 10.7      (3) the conversion was done after December 31, 1995, but 
 10.8   before January 1, 2003; and 
 10.9      (4) the conversion involved an investment of at least 
 10.10  $25,000 per residential unit. 
 10.11     Class 4e property has a class rate of 2.3 percent, provided 
 10.12  that a structure is eligible for class 4e classification only in 
 10.13  the 12 assessment years immediately following the conversion. 
 10.14     Sec. 4.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 273.1382, 
 10.15  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
 10.16     Subdivision 1.  [EDUCATION HOMESTEAD CREDIT.] Each year, 
 10.17  the respective county auditors shall determine the initial tax 
 10.18  rate for each school district for the general education levy 
 10.19  certified under section 126C.13, subdivision 2 or 3.  That rate 
 10.20  plus the school district's education homestead credit tax rate 
 10.21  adjustment under section 275.08, subdivision 1e, shall be the 
 10.22  general education homestead credit local tax rate for the 
 10.23  district.  The auditor shall then determine a general education 
 10.24  homestead credit for each homestead within the county equal to 
 10.25  68 percent for taxes payable in 1999 and 69 76 percent for taxes 
 10.26  payable in 2000 and thereafter of the general education 
 10.27  homestead credit local tax rate times the net tax capacity of 
 10.28  the homestead for the taxes payable year.  The amount of general 
 10.29  education homestead credit for a homestead may not exceed $320 
 10.30  for taxes payable in 1999 and $335 $300 for taxes payable in 
 10.31  2000 and thereafter.  In the case of an agricultural homestead, 
 10.32  only the net tax capacity of the house, garage, and surrounding 
 10.33  one acre of land shall be used in determining the property's 
 10.34  education homestead credit. 
 10.35     Sec. 5.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 273.1398, 
 10.36  subdivision 1a, is amended to read: 
 11.1      Subd. 1a.  [TAX BASE DIFFERENTIAL.] For aids payable in 
 11.2   2000, the tax base differential is (1) 0.5 percent of the 
 11.3   assessment year 1998 taxable market value of class 4a property, 
 11.4   plus (2) for purposes of computing the fiscal disparity 
 11.5   adjustment only, the tax base differential is 0.2 percent of the 
 11.6   assessment year 1998 taxable market value of class 3 
 11.7   commercial-industrial property over $150,000.  
 11.8      Sec. 6.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
 11.9      Sections 1 to 5 are effective for taxes levied in 1999, 
 11.10  payable in 2000, and thereafter, and for aids payable in fiscal 
 11.11  year 2001, and thereafter.