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Item #10 - CC Agenda - 04108/2013 <br />Street Imporovement District - Letter of Support <br />[Page 5 of 5] <br />of 853 cities in Minnesota --and cannot be applied to more than 20% of a MSA city's lane miles. <br />Existing MSA is not keeping up with needs on the MSA system. <br />Key messages <br />• This is enabling legislation. No city would be required to create a municipal street <br />improvement district. <br />• The street improvement district authority legislation is modeled after Minn. Stat. 435.44, <br />which allows cities to establish sidewalk improvement districts. <br />• This authority would provide a funding mechanism that is fair. It establishes a clear <br />relationship between who pays fees and where projects occur, but stops short of the benefit <br />test that sometimes makes special assessments vulnerable to legal challenges. It also does <br />not prohibit cities from collecting fees from tax exempt properties within a district. <br />• Fees paid under a street improvement district would be deductible just as property taxes <br />are. <br />• This tool allows cities to perform maintenance and reconstruction on schedule. Timely <br />maintenance is essential to preserving streets and thereby protecting taxpayer investments. <br />• This tool would allow property owners to fund expensive projects by paying relatively <br />small fees over time. The tool could be used to mitigate or eliminate the need for special <br />assessments. <br />LMC Contact: Anne Finn, Assistant IGR Director, 651-281--1263, afrnnc,lrnc.org <br />Updated March 13, 2013 <br />