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Comments (16)
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Re: There's Still a Chance of Blocking a Portion of the Tax Increases |
By Karen on
2/27/2008 |
Thanks for bringing this to my attention - emails have been sent to the Washington County Commissioners with an email address.....
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Re: There's Still a Chance of Blocking a Portion of the Tax Increases |
By Robin on
2/27/2008 |
| What about the other counties in this state? |
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Other Counties |
By Jeff on
2/27/2008 |
| Robin, the seven county metro area is the only area in the state where the sales and excise tax increases can be imposed without a voter referendum. |
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Re: There's Still a Chance of Blocking a Portion of the Tax Increases |
By Jackie on
2/29/2008 |
| Why isn't Wright Co included? |
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Re: There's Still a Chance of Blocking a Portion of the Tax Increases |
By Ben on
2/29/2008 |
| Thank you for the info. I have sent an email to the board member representing my district and copied all of my neighbors. Also I'm going to email Jason Lewis to see if he'll get the message out. |
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KTLK Radio Ad |
By Jim Rosenthal on
2/29/2008 |
| GOOD AD!! I'm Registering. |
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I'll join too |
By Clint Deraas on
3/1/2008 |
| I just hope this doesn't become another impotent "tax fighting" group that loses its focus. I have been a part of too many of those. I'd really love to see a well organized effort to revolt, as Gov. Pawlenty referenced, to get our state and local leadership back under control. |
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Re: There's Still a Chance of Blocking a Portion of the Tax Increases |
By Jeff Peters on
3/1/2008 |
| THANKS for bringing this to my attention. I have emailed all of my Dakota County Commissioners urging them to stop the increases. I have also told my friends about your web site. |
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Dakota County Commissioner Response Very Sad |
By Beth Splittstoesser on
3/5/2008 |
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Splittstoesser:
Thank you for sharing your concerns about the recently passed legislative transportation-funding package. The Dakota County Board of Commissioners takes taxes very seriously and this has helped us maintain one of the lowest tax rates, if not the lowest, per capita in the state. However, our citizens indicated that they supported increased taxes to improve our transportation system by a 2 to 1 margin in our last citizen survey. Accordingly, the Dakota County Board of Commissioners was actively involved in developing the transportation-funding package that passed the legislature, and the veto override.
Without its passage, state highway improvements in Dakota County would have been almost non-existent since Mn/DOT had virtually no money slated for Dakota County highway improvements over the next 20 years. The lack of state funding for transportation has led to a 50 percent increase in the amount of the county property tax levy dedicated to transportation over the last 5 years. Even with this increase Dakota County alone has an estimated $30 million annual shortfall to just to meet our county highway and transit demands.
This transportation package will provide the State, other counties and cities critically needed transportation funds. It will provide up to $20 million annually to help Dakota County address transportation needs without continuing to take tax dollars away from other vital county programs or unduly burden our residents. In addition, it provides the first dedicated transit funds to allow the county to move forward on vital transit projects such as the Cedar Avenue and I-35W Bus Rapid Transit routes that will help decrease congestion on our roads, maintain a healthy environment, boost economic vitality and keep residents connected.
On a note very personal to me, approximately one mile from my home in Eagan is Minnesota State Trunk Highway 149. Within the last year this state trunk highway was upgraded from a very deficient and unsafe two lane road to a much more adequate four lane highway with divided medians. This required a $14 million project. Of that $14 million, approximately $4 million came from the City of Eagan . . . and a significant portion of the balance came from the federal government. The $4 million spent by the City of Eagan was raised by local property tax dollars and is money which Eagan did not have available for police and fire protection, local streets and other local needs. Eagan had to pay for this state trunk highway because MNDOT didn't have the money. I find this unconscionable. Equally unconscionable is the fact that in the last several years, Dakota County has also loaned MNDOT approximately $10 million so that critically needed projects could be completed instead of being delayed or not completed at all.
We need a good, safe transportation system for our residents and visitors to travel on, for our economic competitiveness, and our quality of life. And we need stable funding to build and maintain this system. As we move forward on improving our transportation system, we will continue to annually evaluate the needs of our residents - especially with regard to taxes to balance high quality services with low tax rates. Our citizens deserve nothing less.
Thank you again for your concerns on this vitally important issue. I sincerely hope that I have shed some additional light.
Thomas A (Tom) Egan
Dakota County Board, Third District |
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Re: There's Still a Chance of Blocking a Portion of the Tax Increases |
By bobbie on
3/5/2008 |
| With all due respect Mr. Egan, it still doesn't explain why taxes go up for the same excuses year after year, while little to nothing gets done. Except increasing SPECIAL INTERESTS! Half the legislators need to be investigated as the increased taxes over the last 6 years shows no progress in the areas the taxes were mentioned to go including TRANSPORTATION... legislators show high levels of mismanaging money in a dishonest way, benefitting some at the cost of others when public dollars should go to EQUAL BENEFIT TO ALL. We need responsible, rational, reasonable, honest, intelligent people at most levels of government. Most with authority have shown the opposite. |
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Re: Scott LeDoux |
By Kristopher Olson on
3/6/2008 |
Scott LeDoux section 4 county commisioner of Anoka County sais that Anoka County represents very little of the $6.6 billion passed into law.
Scott says that he a conservitive and yet still supports the tax increase. His supporting arguement is that people complain about driving home on highway 10. His office gets complaints all the time. I asked him to send me one e-mail of someone thanking him for raising taxes to build roads in Anoka County.
It just goes to show you that these people we elect to office vote on their own agenda, not what is right. A conservative would never vote for a tax increase to fund roads. |
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Re: There's Still a Chance of Blocking a Portion of the Tax Increases |
By Clarence Watson on
3/9/2008 |
| I am sick and tired of this liberal state wasting our money!..I have already joined, thank-you!! |
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Re: There's Still a Chance of Blocking a Portion of the Tax Increases |
By Taxpayers in Anoka County--Here is your Chance! on
3/17/2008 |
| The Anoka County Board of Commissioners will be voting on Tuesday, March 25 at 9:30 AM on the sales tax and excise tax. Show up at the Government Center on 7th Floor at 2100 3rd Avenue Anoka, MN 55303 |
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Re: There's Still a Chance of Blocking a Portion of the Tax Increases |
By William Penny on
3/18/2008 |
| I just spoke to my county commissioner, Dennis Berg, and he said the proposed sales tax increase is just a shift from our property tax to a sales tax. In other word, taking from one pocket and putting into another. Is this true that it will be no net increase in taxation? |
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Response to William's Question on No Net Tax Increase |
By Jeff on
3/18/2008 |
| William, this is a ploy being used by a number of Commissioners to try to justify their adoption of the sales and vehicle excise tax. Ask your County Commissioner if at the time they vote for adopting these tax increases if they would pass a cooresponding DECREASE in property taxes. |
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Re: There's Still a Chance of Blocking a Portion of the Tax Increases |
By Margaret Seifert on
3/18/2008 |
| Please do not put a sales tax on the seven county area-----we can extend the light rail after the economy is in better shape! |
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