November 5, 2007

Property tax information, wrap-ups from recent events and more

Property Tax and School Referendum Data

In Thursday's (Nov. 1) Pioneer Press, the Citizens League annual homeowner property tax survey was the focus of a story related to property taxes and school funding. The main point? Communities where the property taxes on homes for schools are the highest aren't necessarily the best funded. Click here to read the story, and click here to see the data.

This story ties in directly with one of our MAP 150 topics, "How can we remove the mystery from how our taxes are used?" We have begun a small project to ask taxpayers what kind of information, and in what form, they'd like to have. Many mentioned that they'd like more credible information related to school referenda.

We have completed a basic set of that information, in an easy-to-use web format. You can find it at www.propertytaxfacts.mn. We want to share this data with you, and look forward to any feedback you may have. Forward it on to friends and colleagues!

(Please note that the Citizens League has taken no position on any of the referenda - we are just putting the facts out there.)

Annual Meeting Recap

Thank you to everyone who made it to (and helped put together) this year's Annual Meeting. Just under 400 people attended this year's meeting - our largest in recent years - and almost 50 new members joined that night.

Stay tuned for photos and more on our website soon!

In the meantime, if you're interested in getting more involved in our work on public policy, save this date: the Citizens League's first annual Policy Open House event will be held on the evening February 28th, 2008 at St. Paul College. The open house will continue the "policy happens here" theme from the Annual Meeting. It will showcase some of our most active work on various issues and will be a great opportunity for individuals to see how they can participate.

Missed Policy and a Pint: The Death of Environmentalism?

Missed our last Policy and a Pint? You can still listen online and join the conversation on Gather.com - and we highly recommend that you do. The event was illuminating and fun - and our largest Policy and a Pint so far.

Special offer from Politics in Minnesota

Here's an offer from Sarah Janecek, publisher of Politics In Minnesota, to all Citizens League members: Free Politics in Minnesota Morning Reports.

"The Morning Report is a unique source of Minnesota political news. Monday through Friday, we amalgamate the day's MSM print and broadcast news into subject categories, along with significant commentary, editorials and noteworthy posts from online news sources, blogs and think tanks.

We do the web surfing so you don't have to. Most people we know can barely find the time to read the St. Paul Pioneer Press or the Star Tribune, let alone check the Mankato Free Press or the Bemidji Pioneer, we take care of it.

For a limited time, Citizens Leaguers can sign up to receive our free Morning Reports delivered to your email address. Send us an email request to staff [at] politicsinminnesota.com."

Posted by Victoria Ford at November 5, 2007 2:29 PM