There will be tapes: Did Runbeck amendment save Kurt Zellers' bacon?

A couple of tipsters sent information that Speaker Osseo, a city in Kurt Zellers'  home district, had been mistakenly zeroed out in the draft of HF 481.

Apparently, the mayor and city council in Osseo got wind of it and so House Property and Local Tax Division Chair Linda Runbeck hurriedly amended the bill, zeroing out the zeroing out of LGA for Zeller's home town.

The House committee schedule notes this change for the hearing:

Consideration of HF481 (Runbeck) Property and Local Tax Division report.
• Please note that the delete-all amendment posted on the website is the Division report and not HF481 as currently listed.

I didn't catch the rumpus that occurred when this went down, but there will  video archived on the House website, and the Uptake is there.One source described the scene: "The DFLers went nuts."

If the descriptions are true, it's a prime example of the playing off of rural and urban and suburban against each other that I've been writing about--for after all,  if in a calm drafting of the bill, authors determined that suburbs didn't deserve aid, what changed?

Other than the sudden realization that the Speaker was made vulnerable? Better hold those property taxes down for some, while preserving LGA, while other Minnesotans (presumably in DFLer districts) pay more.

I'm not sure how much of the LGA was preserved for Osseo, but the tipsters say there was definitely damage control going fon for Zellers, who didn't vet the bill.

A  tweet preserves the moment:

@Lgrivna Standing room only to hear HF 481 property tax bill amendment changes to suburban LGA; Mpls, St Paul Mayors waiting to testify

I'll have more when the archive is available.  

Here's the draft of the original bill as introduced: Download HF0481.0

Comments

[Aaron Klemz]

I attended the hearing this morning - the A6 amendment impact on Osseo is a $2,469 INCREASE in 2011, but a $330,823 cut in 2012.

[Phoenix Woman]

What's that whirring sound I hear?

Ah, it's Zellers' ethical compass. Somebody's set it up in the corner window and is using it as a box fan. That puppy moves air! (Too bad most of it's hot.)