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CityDuSinCSS I cbiu.li> 17. 9FORUM <br />♦roi'' page 8 <br />while l .ikc I lmt» In expen* <br />i iieine nuulei.iic yi.iwih .iiul <br />I .trmingiiui is Kinc ilevciufKil <br />i.ipiilly <br />IVih.ips ilie most ironie liiuling <br />• •I lliix simly Is lli.u spi.iwlmg roM- <br />ileniial ilcvcUtpiiieiU'* t .in lesuli in <br />Irsy luiuhng lorseh‘Hils In <br />Minncsnla, sialc aul is iisetl in hold <br />»t»u\n pinperiy taxes Hec.iiisc iliis <br />aid is iisiuilly disiiihiilcil h.isecl on <br />|Htpiilaiion tu scluNil eniollineni. ii <br />iiieieascs the share td eJiicatum <br />’iimliiig alliihiiiahle in ihc resulen- <br />ual seelnr Minncstiia s sehnol aid ix <br />iK peiiileni on ihe loial propeiiy val- <br />u.ilion ol a seht»ol ihsiiu;i. as •aoII as <br />* w ing .1 luiKii;‘ii v*l I lu.dliiu'iii iluis <br />swIUHil disiiiels rceeixe less slaic aid <br />pv i siiideni as growih »H:eurs and <br />pn^periy lax bases exp.nul <br />Noinially. ihe exp.nuled lax hasc <br />would olfsci any loss ol sl.nc aul <br />Hut if rcsideniial dexclopmcnl is ihe <br />souiee of Ihc cxpaiuled develop- <br />inenl. ihcn ihc increased ensi of ser* <br />vieing dial dcvctnpniciil could actu ­ <br />ally lead lo the need for higher prop­ <br />erty taxes lo fund seluK)ls. the study <br />found. This analysis piunls oul that <br />Minnesota’s lax sirucinrc makes il <br />very dilficuli lo deicrminc u7m is <br />paying ihe true costs of spraw ling <br />residential development and who is <br />henc’ itiing Irom it <br />And II notes that lai inland pioicc- <br />luni may he financially lx*nericial noi <br />City mIo in this Farmington-arr.x sr» nc* Thu suvun-cminly Twin Citius nwtrofiolii.in <br />area lias lost 21S square iiules of agriciiltui al land lo urbani/.iiiun sme<• I 970 <br />i '4 ..I <br />r... <br />1 f w •IT: <br />Bf- <br />f s. _ <br />"w <br />I I' , <br />..-Tts-r:V:,.. t <br />I <br />onlv IH.V.U1SC ol Its conirihiiiion to the <br />tax hasc. hut also Ivecaiise it lioKIs <br />dovsn propelt> t.»x vahiatic'in. I ower <br />profvil) tax valu.ition leads to more <br />stale aid. which raluees the share of <br />local government costs paid lt»r hy <br />l(x:al residents and properly owners. <br />The tax revenue as compared lo <br />cost of services ratios this analysts <br />reports arc similar lo those found in <br />eight studies ol farmlan ' Jcvelop- <br />mcni in Conncciieui. Massachusells. <br />New Yiuk aiul Ohio Those siuilies <br />found (hat any app.ircnt gam in (ax <br />revenue from residential develop- <br />mcni vv.is losi when ihe eosi ol <br />ilchvcrmg ncecssaiy public services <br />— from roads, sewers aiut pat king <br />lots to cdiicalK'n ami piihhc salcty <br />— was eoiisiileied A study leleased <br />last yearh) Utah State University’s <br />economics department louiut that <br />for every SI in revenue collected by <br />residential property lax revenue in <br />one of that stale's counties. SI 27 in <br />services was being provided. <br />These siudics come at a time <br />when sprawling growih is desiroy- <br />ing Minnesota s larmlaiul .il an <br />alarming r.iie. The 20 conniy <br />growih corridor lr»>m .St C Uuid tt» <br />the Twin Cities to Rochester is the <br />fastest-griiwing metriqv hl.m area <br />from the northern plains to the east­ <br />ern sealioard The seven eoiinly <br />Twin Cities meliopoht.in area has <br />lost 2}^ Ncjiiaic miles ol agrieiilltiial <br />land to uihani/aiion since IV70. <br />Since 1980. most of that growth has <br />occurred in sccc'iid-ring suburbs. <br />The Twin Cities area is the third <br />least densely populated metroptditan <br />region in the eountiy. hut one of the <br />fastest growing geographically The <br />ainoiini ol meiio-are.i l.iiul tlevoied <br />lo urhaii land uses has increased hy <br />42 fveicent since 1970. aliiu»si doii* <br />hie the 22 pcicent |H»pnlatu*n <br />gnus ill I .UC during this same peruM <br />I hese irends arc aeecleraied hy <br />an all tiui common attitude that <br />lai inland is property that is “vacanr <br />or ‘wasted. “ until it sprouts suKlivi* <br />Nioiis Out ag acres liiel a powerlul <br />economic engine in the legion <br />Despite rapid iiihani/aiion in these <br />eounties. metro aiea agrieuiitiial <br />activity piiMlueed more than SStKI <br />inillum wi>iihot laitn output .iiul <br />generaleil 7.000 jobs m 1900 <br />N.itionall). 56 percent of agricultur ­ <br />al piodiiclion comes Irom counties <br />on the cilge of cities. <br />/ til nthtnd titul the To\ /?///con- <br />chutes that Minnesota anil metro- <br />area communities should eonliniie to <br />siippoit existing f.irmland protection <br />progiams such as Metropolitan <br />Agiieultural Preserves and Cneen <br />.Acres |-or economic and env iron- <br />mental reasons, the study rceom- <br />inends exploring other techniques to <br />icl.ini this vahi.ihle resource base, <br />siich as pniehase of conseivalion <br />easements. <br />1 he statistics reported in this <br />study will justify such measures. <br />Pcrh.ips even more importantly, <br />they will help pul to rest the fallacy <br />that the most valuable crop farmland <br />can phulnce is residential laxes. <br />Lee Ronning is f)fogram director of the <br />Land StcwarJihif) Project in Marine On <br />Sl Croix