Pawlenty not prepared to doff his tax cap
Gov. Tim Pawlenty today (Jan. 7) indicated an unwillingness to remove the property tax cap he fought for last session.
In taking reporters’ questions after a press conference, Pawlenty argued against the cap’s removal, explaining it would be an invitation to slide back to the status quo.
“The only way to do that (avoid the perceived slide) is to force them to set priorities and make tough decisions,” said Pawlenty.
If you give local officials a back door out, “they won’t do it,” he opined.
Pawlenty cut local government aid (LGA) funding as part of his budget balancing package for this spending cycle.
Local government officials will, no doubt, closely inspect the governor’s budget proposal for the next spending cycle for LGA cuts when it’s released later this month.
Pawlenty indicated some of the budget proposal will be revolutionary in nature.
But he also wondered whether lawmakers would go for all of it.
