Title
Amending Title IV of the Legislative Code to add Chapter 22, titled Local Sales and Use Tax.
Body
SECTION 1
WHEREAS, Minnesota Statutes ยง 297A.99 authorizes the imposition of a general sales and use tax if permitted by special law of the Minnesota Legislature and approved by the voters of the political subdivision; and
WHEREAS, Section 11.02 of the Saint Paul City Charter requires that the council impose a sales tax by ordinance; and
WHEREAS, Minnesota Special Laws 2023, Chapter 64, Article 10, Sections 2, 3, 4, and 5, (the "Special Law") authorized the City of Saint Paul to impose by ordinance a sales and use tax of one percent (1.0%) (the "Sales and Use Tax") to pay the costs of collecting and administering the tax and to finance all or part of the following projects in the city: streets, bridges, and capital improvements to parks and recreation facilities, plus an amount needed for securing and paying debt services on bonds issued to finance the project; and
WHEREAS, the Special Law also authorized the City to issue up to $984,000,000 of sales tax revenue bonds, plus an amount to be applied to pay the costs of issuance of such bonds (the "Sales Tax Bonds") payable from the Sales and Use Tax; and
WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Saint Paul approved the Special law through RES 23-926; and
WHEREAS, in compliance with the requirements of the Special Law, the City of Saint Paul presented a ballot question on the November 7, 2023 election asking whether the City should establish a one percent (1.0%) sales and use tax over the next 20 years to generate $738,000,000 to repair and improve streets and bridges, $246,000,000 to improve parks and recreation facilities, and associated bonding costs; and
WHEREAS, the majority of residents of Saint Paul voted YES on the ballot question, approving the new Sales and Use Tax; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul City Council wishes to adopt an ordinance to impose the approved new Sales and Use Tax and to outline all applicabl...
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