Minnesota’s communities making tough choices

For the past couple of weeks, MPR News has been airing stories about how cities are coming to terms with smaller budgets--reduced because of cuts in Local Government Aid, a lagging economy and declining property values.

Foley has done away with its police department in favor of hiring a private security firm. Grand Rapids is cross-training its employees and working to go paperless. In the metro area, a legislative change will likely result in higher property taxes for landlords and, therefore, higher rents.

All these stories are part of a project called "Forced to Choose," which explores the tough choices communities are making as local governments finalize their budgets for 2012. The project is a partnership of Ground Level, which previously examined budgetary issues in our "Cities in Crisis" series, and the larger MPR newsroom.

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This morning, MPR News reporter Elizabeth Baier looks at a school referendum in Owatonna that would, if passed, place a vacant Bible college campus in public hands. Purchasing the campus would allow for an expansion of the elementary school and also allay a nagging concern of city leaders: that a collection of empty buildings can become an eyesore in a hurry.

We'll be presenting more stories along these lines--both on the air and online--in the coming months. We hope you'll stay tuned.

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