Voting No on the Minneapolis Board of Estimate Referendum

Voting No on the Minneapolis Board of Estimate Referendum [Note this piece may be edited later --TCIMC editors]

An important referendum--Charter Amendment 168--will be on the Minneapolis ballot in the November 3rd election.  It proposes to amend the city charter by replacing the current members of the Board of Estimate and Taxation with city council members.  I’m urging citizens to vote “No” on this amendment.

The Board of Estimate has been around for 130 years as the place where representatives from elected boards have had to sit down and work together.   Currently it has two members from the City Council, the Mayor, a representative from the Park Board, and two independently elected individuals  The Board has three major responsibilities: to determine tax levy limits; to authorize City bonds; and to audit financial processes to help ensure clean government. It is the only place the City Council, Mayor and Park Board have to work together.

Earlier this year, a group of city council members pushed three charter amendments to change city government.  The Charter Commission put only abolishing the Board of Estimate and Taxation on the ballot.  Later realizing that this would eliminate the City’s ability to issue bonds, they decided to simply replace the current membership of the board with members of the city council.

The proposal, if adopted, would put the City Council in charge of setting the Park Board’s property taxes.  This substantially weakens the Park Board.  Responsibility for parks remains with the Park Board, but all tax funding would come from a City Council with no direct responsibility for parks. If the City Council and the Park Board disagree on an issue, the City Council can threaten to reduce Park Board funding to compel it to give in to the City’s demands.   We need a strong Park Board to protect our city’s parks, recreation facilities, open space and youth programs and this amendment would undermine that stewardship.

If this referendum passes, the audit function - currently a responsibility of the Board of Estimate and Taxation - becomes a City Council function.  The auditor would report to the audited, a bad arrangement.

Democracy functions best with many hands and many voices.  The two independently elected persons -- balanced by the Mayor, council members and park commissioner -- provide another opportunity for citizen input in our city policy.  These two members are paid $35 a month, a small amount of money for a stronger democracy.

The Board is also a check and balance on city spending and taxes. With the current structure, the City Council has to work within a framework set by the broader vision of the Board of Estimate.  This creates a better outcome than if the City Council alone were to set tax levels.

People who oppose this charter amendment include: Mayor Don Fraser, Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton, Park Board President Tom Nordyke, Park Board Vice-President Mary Merrill Anderson, Council Member Cam Gordon, Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, Senator Patricia Torres Ray, Rep. Joe Mullery, Rep. Jeff Hayden, Park Commissioners Scott Vreeland. Carol Kummer, Bob Fine, Annie Young, Jon Olson, Walter Dziedzic, Papa John Kolstad,  Bob Miller, John Erwin, Michael Martens, Meg Forney, Dave Bicking, Dave Wahlstedt, Liz Wielinski and BET Member Carol Becker.

To keep a check and balance on city government spending, to keep a truly independent auditing function, to keep a strong democracy and to preserve a strong, independent Park Board, we should vote no on Charter Amendment 168.