Ground Level Blog

Business property taxes are going up more than residential taxes, a sampling from a dozen Minnesota cities shows. The numbers are one facet of a question that a special MPR News project called “Forced to Choose” is exploring this fall.
St. Peter’s zero levy increase makes a point
St. Peter will hold its levy flat in order to show that the legislature, by a change in law, raised taxes on local taxpayers.
We asked our seven Ground Level water panel members to tell us why they got involved in local clean-water issues. Read what they said and “weigh in” with your own answer.
St. Paul property taxes go down (for a few) and up (for many)
Low value homes in St. Paul will see their property taxes drop a little but owners of median value and higher homes could see increases next year of close to 10 percent.
‘We’ve just built more than we can maintain’
Planner, engineer and writer Chuck Marohn issues a call for local governments to realize their growth is unsustainable and they need to find a new way to think about the future.
MPR News’ Ground Level asked seven Minnesotans to tell us why local issues matter when it comes to the complex topic of water pollution.
What is the role of farming practices in protecting the quality of Minnesota’s water? What is the best way to approach agriculture and farmers to make things better? Join a conversation on where to go next.
Harmony Co-op in Bemidji is building an incubator kitchen to help local food producers and entrepreneurs expand into processed food.