Minnesota Senate rejects school district levy renewals without voter referendums

The Minnesota Senate last night refused to let school boards renew existing property tax levies for operating expenses without asking voters again in a referendum. Supporters of the measure argued almost all levy renewals pass anyway, and Bloomington Democrat Melissa Wiklund says, “The renewal process, holding the ballot question, is very time-consuming and difficult.” But Rochester Republican Carla Nelson says, “I believe it is still important for those property taxpayers to be able to have the option to vote if they would like to increase their property taxes in order to pay for more school funding.”