OSA Weekly Update - 7/28/2023
1. Message from Auditor Blaha
2. Meeting: Fire Relief Association Working Group
3. Released: Pension Newsletter
4. Avoiding Pitfall: Sale of Public Property to Public Officers and Employees
5. Upcoming Deadlines
1. Message from Auditor Blaha
As we travel the state listening to how the shortage of auditors is affecting local government, it’s clear there’s a larger issue. The general shortage of public finance professionals is deeply interconnected. A shortage in one area increases the workload in another, which deepens the shortage across the board. If we want to address the shortage of auditors, we need to address shortages facing auditees.
That’s where you come in. Do you have ideas to attract more people to local government finance work? Can you see ways to lighten the workload of staff we already have? Send your ideas to outreach@osa.state.mn.us.
Let’s face the problem of shortages together.
2. Meeting: Fire Relief Association Working Group
The Fire Relief Association Working Group met on July 26 to review pending legislative proposals and suggested amendments. The Working Group members also reviewed additional potential topics for consideration this year. Working Group meeting agendas and materials, and links to watch recordings of previous meetings, are provided on the OSA website.
3. Released: Pension Newsletter
The July Pension Newsletter has been released. The Newsletter provides a reminder about the upcoming certification deadline for the 2023 Schedule Form, and information about the new Benefit Level Projections Tool provided within the Form. The Newsletter also provides information about protecting private member data that a relief association maintains, and information on the effective date of benefit level changes and municipal ratification requirements.
4. Avoiding Pitfall: Sale of Public Property to Public Officers and Employees
Generally, political subdivisions may not sell property or materials owned by the political subdivision to its officers or employees.
The relevant statute, Minn. Stat. § 15.054, contains an exception to this general prohibition for employees, but not for officers, if the property or materials are no longer needed by the political subdivision and the sale is made after reasonable public notice (at least one week’s published notice) at a public auction or by sealed bids. To qualify for the exception, the employee must not be directly involved in the auction or the sealed bid process.
The full Avoiding Pitfall is available on the OSA website.
5. Upcoming Deadlines
Pension: Schedule Form Certification Deadline
The 2023 Schedule Form for defined-benefit lump-sum fire relief associations is required to be certified on or before August 1, 2023. The certification must be made to the entity responsible for satisfying the minimum required contribution of the relief association’s special fund. The 2023 Schedule Form is available for download in SAFES.
The 2023 Schedule Form is designed to help determine a relief association’s projected assets and liabilities for 2023 and the minimum required contribution for 2024. The Office of the State Auditor’s Statement of Position provides additional information on municipal contribution requirements.
TIF: Annual Reporting Forms Due August 1
Authorities must submit 2022 TIF Annual Reporting Forms to the Office of the State Auditor (OSA) using the State Auditor Form Entry System (SAFES) on or before August 1, 2023. Instructions, sample forms, and videos on how to fill out and submit TIF reporting forms are available under the heading “Resources for Completing Forms” on the TIF Forms page.
If you have any questions, please contact us at TIF@osa.state.mn.us.
TIF: Annual Disclosure
TIF Authorities are required to publish an annual statement containing specific information about each TIF district. The statement must be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality no later than August 15, 2023. The information to be published can be found on the "ADS" Tab of the TIF Annual Reporting Form. Please do not forget to publish the disclosure in a timely manner.
Note: Please be sure to verify pre-populated information such as the current, original and captured net tax capacities before publishing your annual disclosure statement(s). If you notice a correction is needed for an already submitted report and would like to submit a revised report, please alert us and we can mark the file for resubmission.
If you have any questions, please contact us at TIF@osa.state.mn.us.