OSA Weekly Update - 5/16/2025
1. Message from Auditor Blaha
2. Released: Pension Training Video
3. Reminder: Important Notes About Requesting Certification of New TIF Districts
4. Released: Minnesota City Budgets Report
5. Due: Performance Measurement Program Report by July 1, 2025
6. Avoiding Pitfall: Credit Cards - Detailed Receipts Required
1. Message from Auditor Blaha
The City Budget Summary report is out! One of the benefits of this report is that it's a compilation of current budgets around the state and any major changes to last year’s budgets. While these aren't audited numbers like you see in our City Finances Report, the numbers are for 2025. If you need the most precise budget numbers and can wait for audits to be completed, our Finances Reports are the best choice. If you need more current numbers and can handle the idea that budgets may change a bit mid-year, our Budget Summary reports are a good bet. See all our City reports here.
2. Released: Pension Training Video
A new training video titled “Deferred Interest Calculations” is available on the OSA website. The video shows different options of crediting interest to deferred members and walks through each calculation method. Additional training videos can be found under the “Pension Division” heading on the OSA’s Training Opportunities page.
3. Reminder: Important Notes About Requesting Certification of New TIF Districts
After a TIF plan is approved, an authority must request certification of the TIF district by the county auditor, who then certifies the district's original values.
The TIF District Certification Request Supplement form available on our website is highly recommended for use when making your request (unless your county specifies its own alternate form).
June 30 is an important cut-off date for the certification request. Requests for certification made on or before this date will have their original values based on the previous assessment year, and requests made after June 30 will be based on the current assessment year. TIF authorities should seek to understand the implications and plan accordingly.
If you have any questions, contact our office at TIF@osa.state.mn.us.
4. Released: Minnesota City Budgets Report
The OSA released the annual Minnesota City Budgets Report: 2025 City Summary Budget Data together with 2024 Summary Budget Data. The press release is also available on the OSA website.
The data reflects unaudited budgeted revenues and expenditures reported by cities to the OSA as required by Minn. Stat. § 6.745, subd. 1.
5. Due: Performance Measurement Program Report by July 1, 2025
Participation in the Performance Measurement Program by a city or a county is voluntary. Counties and cities that choose to participate in the standard measures program must officially adopt and implement the ten minimum performance measures and system developed by the Council on Local Results and Innovation (Council).
In order to receive the per capita reimbursement, counties and cities must file a report (in a PDF format) with the OSA by July 1, 2025.
6. Avoiding Pitfall: Prompt Payment of Local Government Bills
Cities, counties, towns, school districts, and political subdivisions or agencies of local government must pay vendor bills according to the terms of the contract with the vendor. If no contract term applies, the bill must be paid within a “standard payment period” unless there is a good faith dispute over the bill. See Minn. Stat. § 471.425. If the bill is not paid within the standard payment period, the public entity must pay interest charges.
Under the statute, the standard payment period from the date of receipt of the goods or services, or the invoice for the goods or services, whichever is later, is:
- 35 days for governing boards with regularly scheduled meetings at least once a month;
- 45 days for governing boards that do not regularly meet at least once a month; and
- 45 days for joint powers organizations.
If an invoice is incorrect, defective or otherwise improper, the statute requires the entity to notify the vendor within ten days of the date of receipt.
This statute applies to all goods, leases and rents, and contracts for services, construction, repair and remodeling. It provides a specific exception for certain contracts with a public utility or telephone company.
The full Avoiding Pitfall is available on the OSA website.