The following is a letter from Representative Tom Murphy and what he thinks about the new Seasonal Recreational Tax Base Replacement Aid.
I’ve always believed the people closest to a problem are best equipped to solve it. Parents, teachers, school board members, and taxpayers in Perham-Dent know their schools far better than anyone in St. Paul. That’s why Perham-Dent School District residents should learn about the operating levy on the ballot this November. It puts more decisions, and more dollars, back in local hands.
For years, school districts in Lake Country have faced a frustrating math problem. Cabins and lake homes make up a large share of our property base, but seasonal properties don’t contribute to local school operating levies, and a portion of their property taxes flows into the state’s general fund instead. When a district like Perham-Dent needs to invest in its classrooms, the entire cost falls on year-round residents and local businesses. Many districts simply chose not to ask.
Minnesota’s new Seasonal Recreation Tax Base Replacement Aid program changes that. Districts where seasonal recreation property makes up more than 15% of the tax base can now receive state aid covering up to half of a voter-approved operating levy. Instead of sitting in St. Paul, those dollars can come home to the communities that generated them.
If that idea sounds familiar, it should. Not long ago, farmers in ag-heavy districts were carrying an outsized share of the cost of school building projects. In 2017, the Legislature responded with the Ag2School credit, which today has the state cover 70% of school bond taxes on agricultural land. It recognized that a district’s property mix shouldn’t determine whether its kids get good schools or whether its residents get a fair shake. Ag2School leveled the playing field for schools in farm country. This new aid will do the same for schools in lake country.
Here’s what it means for Perham-Dent. If approved, the levy would generate $745,965 a year for 10 years, with close to half paid by the state’s general fund. Plus, the school board has committed to reducing other local levies if the local operating levy passes. That means most residents and businesses would actually see an overall decrease in their school property taxes. These dollars would help support the things our community values in its schools, including small class sizes, essential student services, and the academic and extracurricular programs that help students succeed.
That’s a rare combination: more support for local students and less pressure on local taxpayers.
Above all, this is local control at work. Perham-Dent voters get to decide whether to pursue this funding. The locally elected school board decides how it’s spent, focusing on maintaining strong academics, student opportunities, and the teachers and staff who make our schools successful.
None of this happens unless voters show up. Absentee voting is already underway, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Learn more at 549United.org, ask your questions, and make a plan to vote.
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