Brita Sailer has been at the forefront of efforts at the state Legislature to hold down local property taxes. Any attack to the contrary is plainly wrong: please consider the source. A 10-second look at Brita's record shows she has passed bills to reduce property taxes and voted for both Republican and Democratic property tax relief initiatives.
Brita succeeded in passing a bill she co-authored to reduce the property tax burden on small resorts by hundreds of dollars (HF 972). This is a big help to our local tourism industry, especially mom-and-pop resorts. In addition, Brita voted to eliminate the "marriage penalty" on income taxes so married filers get the same deduction as single filers.
Brita also voted for every property tax relief proposal brought before the Minnesota House this session, Democrat or Republican sponsored. She co-authored Rep. Paul Marquart's amendment to hold down property taxes by restoring Local Government Aid (LGA) cuts to towns like Park Rapids, Bagley and Blackduck, and to reduce school property tax levies. This amendment was struck down by the House Speaker.
Brita co-authored a bill to reduce the education property tax burden. Perhaps if her bill had been given a fair hearing, the Park Rapids School District would not be in the pickle it is today.
Here's the real truth: severe cuts in aid to local governments and state funding for schools in 2003 forced local property taxes to go way up. Brita's opponent voted to cut LGA to rural Minnesota in 2003, shifting the state's budget problems onto the backs of local property owners (Special Session HF 7). The Twin Cities' wealthy suburbs did not share in the pain.
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Brita has done her best to help clean up the mess of rising property taxes, but there is more work to be done. Brita Sailer is the clear choice for a state representative who will work to hold down property taxes.
Joan Aeling
Park Rapids
