Minn. Town Wants to Return Extra Cash to Citizens

Despite the economic turmoil many states and cities find themselves in, the city of Prior Lake in Minnesota has a budget surplus, and the mayor wants to return money to taxpayers, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported Monday.

Prior Lake Mayor Mike Myser ran on a tax-cutting platform when he was elected in November 2009. The $2 million surplus came as a result of conservative budgeting, and an unexpected increase in building permits increased revenues.

“Also, we have a very lean staff,” said Jerilyn Erickson, Prior Lake’s director of finance. “Our staff is pretty much stretched.”
Myser has proposed sending taxpayers a rebate check, which the city is studying.

“I would have no qualms about giving [the money] back,” Myser told the newspaper.

The mayor said if he and the City Council would have known about the budget surplus earlier, they could have made different budget decisions.