Issues

Issues facing District 1 that I work on regularly include:

• Aircraft noise
• Traffic speeds
• Black Dog Amphitheater
• Redevelopment

Property Taxes

The Citizens League 2008 property tax survey was recently released, and Bloomington continued to do well. Our city ranked #67 out of 117 cities for property taxes, and the effective tax rate declined from 1.038% in 2004 to 1.029% in 2005. About 1/3 of the property tax collected from owners goes to the city; the remainder goes to Hennepin County and the Bloomington Public Schools. Tax comparisons with other cities are the best way to measure how your local elected officials are holding the line.
Once again, in 2009 we can expect actions by the Legislature to cause property tax increases metro-wide. For those without a scorecard, previous changes were shifts of taxes from commercial businesses to homes, and elimination of income and sales tax support for local government.

Casino at the Mall of America

The often-discussed idea of building a casino near the Mall of America is back on the table. What do you think about a casino at that location? Let me know.

Airport Noise

Please see my separate Airport / aircraft noise page for information on airport issues.

Black Dog Amphitheater

See the separate Amphitheater page for details on the fight against the Black Dog Amphitheater.

Redevelopment

Redevelopment is likely to be slow in 2009, due primarily to tight conditions at commercial lenders.