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262892 WH17E - CITV CLERK 2�2�92 A���+�-�voR E GITY OF SAINT PAUL �le ci1NO. CANA�`V - PARTM NT r. � �- � � ' olu ' . , Presented By � � � � � � Referred To ommittee: Date Out of Committee By Date WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Sai�.t Paul, by Resolution, C. F. 262422, adopted the Budget �or the 1974 ca�endar year for the City of Saint Paul, 'its departments, bureaus and agencies, which Budget included � appropriation for Contingent Reserve Speci:fied-Ma.ndata.ry Collection of Solid Waste in the amount of $3, 112,�`b4.00; and WHEREAS, the City Council, by Resolutio�h, C. F. 262526, levied taxes on all taxa.ble property within tlhe City of Saint Paul, to be collectible in 1974, in the total' amount of $30,333,781.00 plus $364,814.00 for shrinka.ge; and WHEREAS, the Council, By Resolution, C.F. 262842, adopted December 28, 1973, following a public hearing determined that the proposed maxzdatory Solid Waste Program ne�ded substantial additional study before it could be implement�d by City ordinance and expressed the desir� to reduce the tax levy in 1974 by the amount of �$2,359,��+0.68, now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that pursuant to and in accor�lance with Section 10.07 of the City Cha.rter and upon recommendation received from the Mayor, the Council of the City of Saint P�.ul does hereby revise the 1974 Budget so as to decrease appropriations in Activity 09061-Contingent Reserve Specified-M�ndatory Collection by the sum of z$2,056,623.68, and the said 1974 Budget is further amended so as to decrease the Fina.ncing Sumtr�a.ry contained therein entitled "Sources of Financing-Operation and Maintenance-Tax Levy Inside Limitation: by the sum of �2,056,623.68,, and be it RECONIMENDED 1974 DGET REDUCTI =� COUNCILMEN Requested by Depart�ent of: Yeas Nays Hunt Konopatzki In Favor Levine ` Meredith Against BY Sprafka Tedesco Mme.President Butler Form Approved by Ci�y Attorney Adopted by Council: Date �I — Certified Passed by Council Secretary BY �\'��-�� By Approved by Maxor: Date Approved r far Submission to Council . � � BY BY WH17E - CITY CLERK PIN,K -�'INANCE ■!�1, CANC.RY,-pEpARTMENT �JITY OF SAINT PALIL � Council 2 ��g�2 BL'lTE =MAYOR . � F312 N O. � ��� � - - � � � Council Resolution Presented By Referred To Committee: Date Out of Committee By Date FURTHER RESOLVED, that the total taxes levied on all taxa.ble property within the City of Saint Paul, to be collectible in 1974, is hereby reduced by the sum of �2,og6,623.68, and the City Clerk is hereby directed to transmit a certified copy of this resolution forthwith to the Ramsey County Auditor; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution is intended to amend the prior Resolution of this Council, C. F. No. 262526, said resolution being the certification of tax levy pursuarit to Section 11.04 of the Saint Paul City Charter, COUIVCILMI:N Requested by Department of: Yeas �'tle�� Nays 7�i�E Konopatzki [n Favor � Meredith � Against BY � Roedler Tedesco Mme.President �[ F�1�1't JAN 9 1974 Form Approved by City Attorney Adopted by Council: Date Certified by Qou ' Sec i��; � BY BY "QV� d.,0�y Approv by Maxo Date N 1974 Approved by Mayor fqr Submission to Council By BY PUBLISHED JAN 12 ��r4 . . . ���,,. � _ , . ,� . . � , . - `� � � �:. a 3 �-� � y�. � � � 1 � .. , � :.�� � J �� � � c�. �� { . ; ; �a � ..��,,� � ; � ' �.. �a��.v a..� �, , ._ � , .. ; : � �, ; � .. ; .1 � ., 1 , t ' � � � ' • , � . , � � �,� GITY OF SAINT PAUL ��- OFI�I(;E OI�' TIiF MAYOI� �o��.��==sea ;,,�a�eoa p�0 ee January 8 , 19 74 LAWIILNGE D. GOHE1\ NIAYOR Council President Ruby M. Hunt and F��onorable Members of the City Council City of Saint Paul, Minnesota Dear President Hunt and Council Members : You have recently sent to me three resolutions connected with reduction of the city tax levy. I have not chosen to veto these resolutions for various reasons , even though in my mind all three fail the test of le�ality. These three resoluti.ons represent your total and complete fai.lure to provide a necessary and widely recommended program of mandatory solid waste and gaxbage collection, even though in October, you voted unanimous ly and set a. high priority on this $3. 1 milli.on }�rogram. The city deserves a G�or.kablP system for the bes� interests of its health and welfare . Problems of what to do about apartment houses couid have been resolved. Other American cities , including one right across our great river, have resolved it. We are now face� �aith a lawsuit that is the c�irect result of the inaction of this council. Also, because of your failure , the city now ha.s levied a certain amount of tax money, which I am, under Section 10 . 07 of the city charter, therefore obligated to advise you has become what could be considered "surplus revenues" and therefore can be used for other �urposes . I therefore advise you that I will shortly submit to you a series of budget revisions for fiscal 1974 to reallocate these manies . In coming up with this soli.d waste program, you chose to knock out some excellent mayor' s proposals dealinQ with peoples ' use of parks and pla.ygrounds and their ri�ht to be protected by a good environmental pro�;ram.. In adciition, you fail.ed to provide � sufficiently for 1974 elections . 22 . ` • ' . . � '• , '� � , . � President Hunt and Council Members January 8, 19 74 Page 2 After these revisions , there will be approximately $2 million left that we cannot ju�t� ie� sit idly. Tf it is legally possible , naturally the money can� be allocated to reduction of the mill levy. However, the homeowners of Saint Paul should not be misled into believing they will receive much of this as a tax rebate . Only a very small portion of the money (about 26 percent) will go to the homeowner. Some will , in effect, go back to the state because of the homestead credit. The largest will go to the commercial and industrial taxpayers in the community. It is fair to say that this is not necessarily far the benefit of a tenant in an apartment house because in the last tax cutting--that which inadvisab ly was done through mish andled use of federal revenue sharing placed against the levy--the landlords of the community did not pass on this saving. So while the head.lines might read that taxes are being cut, it would be totally unfair for the citizens of this community to be misled this way. Those revenue sharing actions , totally against the recommendations of myself and officials who bothered to study t71e ramifications of such actions , created a $7 million tax hole that h ad to be made up this year. This a.ction alone created an approximate 10 mill deficit in city financing. It also created a 13 percent tax break for apartment owners , who didn 't bother to pass it on to their tenants . At b�st , the 1972 allocation of revenue sharing--and this $2 million kickb ack on the levy--is special interest tax reduction � the City Council. ! Of this $2 million reduction , it is my duty to tell you with a somewh at heavy heart that the homeowners of Saint Paul wi7.1 receive only some $548,000 less than the bills they would have otherwise received. For owners of houses tha.t are hoMesteaded at valwes of $20 ,000 or lower--and this group is more than 50 ,000 strong, or 70 percent of the city' s homeowners--this will mean between $4 and S9 less on their 1974 tax bill. Commercial, industrial and apartment house relief will be 57. 5 percent of the total, or. roughly $1,200 ,000 •�0 � But to make the best of a difficult situation , we can accomplish a few things beneficial to the entire city ar!d all its residents . The council has already agreed to appropriations for nrevious and 1974 subsidies for elderly for the refuse and garbage program as now operated. ' � " , v•. � . •.., ' . . � . f President Hunt and Council Members January 8, 1974 Page 3 While some of the budget programs I will submit to you have been reviewed, circumstances of the energy crisis ha_ve changed perspective somewhat and make them more imperative now than last fa11. Because of the ever-increasing price of gasoline , families who might have traveled farther for recreation in all probability will make greater use of city parks and playground.s . To antici�ate this demand, I recommend you restore $153 ,973 to the parks budget for keeping playgrounds open in the summer ( �26 ,250) ; supervisors of skating programs ( $42 ,000) ; keeping recreation cent�rs_ open. on weekends ($10 ,400 ) ; continuation of the ��ford-Martin Luther King program ( $21, 352 ) ; continuin� the information and guide program for the Conservatory($9 , 853) ; keeping the parks service level at that which was gained through the help of phased out public employees ( $44,118) . I also urge $50 ,000 for site preparation at Swede Hollow, which is being made into a nature study center through the fine community- spirited people of Payne Pvenue area and the Saint Paul Garden Club. A heavier demand will be placed also on our Pollution Control Agency by the fuel and energy problems , as homeowners arid industry seem destined to either change systems of heating or increase efficiency of fuels they are using. We can assist this by restoring $16 ,659 for the Testing Laboratory an d pollution control supplies . An obvious necessity , without mandatory collecti n , is increasing budgets for rodent control and inspection . The �ouncil cut the recommendation for rodent control, and if you agree that enforcement of exis�ing ordinances and programs is an alternative to mandatory collection , this budget should be restored by $24 ,253 .00 , Finally, new election laws are obli�atory on the part of the city , and $57, 832 is necessary to comply with new programs dealing with absentee ballots , party desi�nation and fees and supplies . These revisions total $302 ,717. 00 . More specific budget details an d documents will be coming to you shortly. truly rs , WR CE D. COH � LDC:lmp Mayor � f� f � � '/ ' � ' - - - ,������' , � . � � , January 9, 1974 To The Nonorable Members of the Saint Paul City Council c/o Ci ty C1 erk City Hall Saint Paul , Minnesota 55102 Dear Council Members: I appear here today to ask this Council to attempt to restore some degree of sanity to city government. I am deeply concerned at the plight that our citizens face as a direct result of the game playing, if you will , of certain members of government. This Council has laid an unnecessary burden on the citizens to the extent of over three million dollars. For purely political reasons much to do is being made about wanting to take an action that this Council knows, or should know, is impossible through claims of now wanting to undo the mistake of an excessive tax levy. To further compound the problems, we now hear the ,Mayor say that he considers this three million dollars 'surplus revenues' and has launched a campaign to spend our citizens into the poorhouse by noo� devising ways to � spend this vast sum of money for various of his pet programs. This is insanity. The people of this city are not going to star�d idly by while the city treasury is raped and pillaged by irresponsible el�cted officials. I would like to make a suggestion to this Council that may make some sense to some of you. You have already made the confession, if you will , that a mistake was made in making an excessive tax levy. For this I comnend you. No reasonable person will be critical of another for a mistake ad- mitted, provided that steps of a responsible nature are taken to correct that mistake. This body has already stated that it does not want or now need the excessive amount of tax money, yet our "wild e�ed" Mayor has grand- iose ideas of how to fritter it away. This Council can prevent that action, and should. A formal resolution by this Council that it will set aside and promise not to spend the $2,350,000 that by your own statements and actions is not needed might go a long way to indicate to our citizens that at least some members of city government have a sense of responsibility. I urge this body to take such action, and by doing so let the people (enow you will hold the line against excessive spending, and at the same tirr� tell our spendthrift Mayor that he does not have a blank check to spend us into the poorhouse. C ' 11y, Charles P. McCart .. ;, ,.± ,, •ROLL' C.9I,L FOR JANUARY 1974 .�r � r ; ' . ..� . Yeas Nays �ONUPATZKI � �RFDITH ���C.���r ��OEllLER � \ / '�EDESCO �UTLER-1 _ �'SI�;Ll'u'i �1lUv'i)