Rep. Davids’ Property Tax Commission Bill Would Determine How to Lower Property Taxes

ST. PAUL – What role is the state legislature playing when it comes to escalating property tax rates? It’s a question State Representative Greg Davids (R-Preston), co-chairman of the powerful Minnesota Taxes Committee, wants to answer and is sponsoring legislation that would investigate.

“There’s lots of blame handed out when it comes to rising property rates,” Davids said. “With previous legislatures making the decision to pass mandates onto city and county governments and school districts, I think it’s important to determine how significant of a role the state government is playing in this process.”

Davids is sponsoring legislation that would create a property tax commission that would investigate the cause of local property tax increases, and present options that would increase transparency regarding the budgets of local governments. Membership would consist of two state representatives, two state senators, the revenue commissioner, one county commissioner, one mayor, and one school board member.

Davids said the goal of his legislation is to find ways to support local governments and to seek ways to lower everyone’s property taxes.

“If state laws are to blame for the dramatic rise in property taxes, then the legislature needs to take swift action,” Davids said. “We have to determine what role lawmakers are playing and find ways to leave city and county governments and school districts alone with their budgets.”

Davids noted Local Government Aid (LGA) and County Program Aid (CPA) are programs that play a significant role towards financially assisting rural communities, and without them, the property tax problem would be much worse. This is why he was grateful he was able to stop cuts to these programs last session, which had been proposed and supported by Governor Walz and House and Senate DFL leadership.