County officials came to Stewartville City Hall with a request for tax money last week.
County Commissioner Matt Flynn and Richard Devlin, Olmsted County administrator, asked the City Council for permission to tax Stewartville residents to help raise money for affordable housing across the county.
After discussing the matter for about a half hour, the City Council turned down the request on a 4-1 vote.
Mayor Jimmie-John King and councilpersons Gary Stensrud, Wendy Timm and Dick Uptagrafft voted with the majority. Councilperson Craig Anderson was the lone dissenter.
Uptagrafft said he’s concerned that officials will use the tax money to build affordable housing in places other than Stewartville.
“I kind of think I know where this money is going to go,” he said. “It’s not going to go to Stewartville. It’s going to go to Rochester.”
Timm indicated that if Stewartville residents pay the tax, Stewartville should derive some benefit in the form of affordable housing.
“I’m a little bit concerned that the money doesn’t necessarily come back to our community,” she said.
Flynn, however, said that there would be a…
For more on this story pick up your copy of the July 21 Stewartville STAR.
by Mark Peterson, Stewartville Star Editor