State Auditor's E-Update - 8/13/2021

1. Message from Auditor Blaha

2. Available: 2021 Pension Training Videos

3. TIF: 2021 TIF Legislation

4. New: Statement of Position (SOP) on Temporary TIF Transfer Authority

5. Avoiding Pitfall: Recording Closed Meetings

1. Message from Auditor Blaha

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the state is seeing a steady increase in COVID-19 cases, nearly entirely driven by the highly-contagious Delta variant. The overwhelming majority of these cases are among unvaccinated Minnesotans so if you have been waiting to get your shot, now is the time.

Vaccines are the way we end this pandemic. They are safe and protect our family, friends, and those who are medically unable or ineligible to get vaccinated. Vaccine appointments are available at www.VaccineConnector.mn.gov. As an added bonus, if you receive your first dose by Sunday, August 15 you will be eligible for a $100 Visa gift!

Finally, while we have made major strides as a state to get vaccinated, it is important to remember many among us simply cannot be vaccinated at this time.

Thank you for all you have done and continue to do for Minnesota. Stay safe out there!

2. Available: 2021 Pension Training Videos

Last month, the Office of the State Auditor (OSA) offered three trainings for relief associations via webinar. The training sessions covered topics for new relief association trustees, provided a legislative update, included tips for avoiding pitfalls, and provided answers to questions frequently asked by relief association officers. If you missed the trainings or would like to revisit portions, recordings of the webinars are now available on our website under the “Pension Division” sub-header.

3. TIF: 2021 TIF Legislation

The 2021 Legislature enacted special laws providing exceptions to the TIF Act for nine authorities. It also enacted a few changes to the TIF Act. For more information, please see the new TIF Topic article that summarizes the changes. The article can be viewed here.

4. New: Statement of Position (SOP) on Temporary TIF Transfer Authority

A new SOP has been posted to provide guidance related to the new temporary authority to transfer unobligated increments from TIF districts for purposes of creating and retaining jobs in the state by assisting private development that constructs or substantially rehabilitates buildings and ancillary facilities. The statement can be viewed here.

If you have any questions, please contact us at TIF@osa.state.mn.us.

5. Avoiding Pitfall: Recording Closed Meetings

Local government officials should be aware that Minnesota’s Open Meeting Law requires most closed meetings to be electronically recorded. The law states “[a]ll closed meetings, except those closed as permitted by the attorney-client privilege, must be electronically recorded at the expense of the public body. Unless otherwise provided by law, the recordings must be preserved for at least three years after the date of the meeting.”

This Avoiding Pitfall is available on our website here.