Weekly Bits from the City Newsletter 3-05-10

 (Governor Pawlenty)

 City finance director Ron Eischens, outlines the need for LGA (Local Government Aid) in this week's city newsletter.  He and the Mayor will deliver the city's case to the Governor during Bemidji Day at the Capitol on Tuesday. According to Eischens, "Compared to all cities in Minnesota, Bemidji’s tax rate is below the average and also lower than similar sized cities. Bemidji’s spending per capita is also below similar sized cities."

He also outlines the major capital improvements that the city has made in the last ten years and explains (again) that 43 percent of Bemidji's property base is non taxable.

The newsletter also has a list of upcoming meetings, updates from department heads, and meeting agendas for the BREC advisory board, the Park and Trails Commission, and the Heritage Preservation Commission, which all meet this week. (The agenda for the Joint Planning Board, which meets on Wednesday at 6:00 pm is not included in the newsletter, but can be found here. I'll have a separate post on that tomorrow.)