Deaths and drug overdoses continue to mount among the occupants of the homeless camps popping up in Rochester parks, seemingly as fast as the authorities remove them. As city officials…
State and local taxes and spending Kare 11: Oops: A multi-million dollar mistake needs to be fixed in Minnesota’s tax law Minn Post: Error in tax bill would cost Minnesota…
Rochester city hall desperately wants voters to reauthorize the half-cent local option sales tax that’s set to sunset this year, along with the $12 million the tax generates annually. Officials…
State and local taxes and spending Alexandria Echo Press: An Echo Press Editorial: In defense of tax increases… Winona Post: County: Referendum on sales tax for jail next fall Pioneer…
The easy part ended when the Minnesota Legislature rubber-stamped Rochester’s request to ask voters to extend the city’s expiring half-cent local sales tax for another 16 years. This fall residents…
Maybe it’s nothing new or perhaps it’s another unsettling sign of the times. Either way, a surprising number of cities report an outbreak of incidents of vandalism at parks, beaches…
Not so long ago, Mayo Clinic celebrated the refreshing communication style of longtime medical school Professor Dr. Michael Joyner. The provocative professor was even featured on the cover of a…
Rochester Public Schools recently approved a bid of $562,548 for seven “advanced autonomous floor-scrubbing robots.” This, the Rochester Post Bulletin reports, “led to a discussion about the role of technology…
Just days after the death of a 61-year-old homeless man in a city park, Rochester’s top cop called for an ordinance banning homeless encampments on all city property at a…
It’s often only a matter of time before big-city problems like the homeless encampments now commonplace in the metro area spread to regional cities like Rochester. The uptick in encampments…
State and local taxes and spending Minnesota Reformer: A breakdown of tax increases, cuts Minnesota lawmakers intend to pass WCCO: Lawmakers reach deal on rebate checks for Minnesotans Duluth News…
This week the state House of Representatives passed a new employer mandate for paid family and medical leave. HF 2 will impose a new tax on employers to fund paid…
State and local taxes and spending The Center Square: How Much Minnesota Taxes Its Residents Compared to Other States Bloomberg Tax: Minnesota House Sheds Modesty With Bold Tax Overhaul Plan…
State and local taxes and spending Minn Post: Proposed Amazon delivery fee to raise money for Minnesota transportation appears dead Rochester Post Bulletin: Letter: How Social Security tax affects this…
They say local governments are closest to the people and what they’re thinking. That’s certainly the case for the governing board members of rural Homer Township in southeastern Minnesota and…
Just weeks after approving the hiring of a sixth police school resource officer in Rochester public schools, members of the school board now apparently want a do-over. The board abruptly…
A year ago, Rochester city officials decided they wanted to build a $65 million regional sports and recreation center. But city hall had trouble articulating the need for it, other…
Economic growth Walker Pilot Independent: Rep. Bliss states Minnesota economic forecast underscores need for tax relief, structural overhaul Bring Me the News: Tourist numbers in Minnesota returned to pre-pandemic levels…
Rochester public schools face a $14 million budget shortfall for the forthcoming 2023-2024 school year. That reality has forced school administrators to announce a second straight year of sizable staff…
It’s a refreshing show of support for agriculture and family farmers. The planning commission in Fillmore County recently voted overwhelmingly to recommend the county board double the limit on the…
The tail continues to wag the dog in Rochester officials’ quest for a sexy project to sell to the public in an effort to continue raking in millions of dollars…
State and local taxes and spending Duluth News Tribune: Statewide View: Is the DFL trying to chase people out of Minnesota? Duluth News Tribune: Our View: Minnesota taxpayers, brace yourselves…
Elected officials rarely turn down the chance to move into a bigger and better publicly-funded building, particularly if it means new offices and meeting rooms. So it’s no surprise the…
The southeastern Minnesota town of Harmony was projected to lose residents in the 2020 census, leaving the community short of 1,000 residents. But the prognosticators evidently failed to account for…