Minneapolis is enforcing the letter of the law…
…for business owners.
After parts of Minneapolis were decimated by riots in May and June, the city has refused to let businesses clean up their properties until they they pre-pay their entire 2020 property taxes in full.
Don Blyly, whose bookstore was destroyed in the riots, told the local newspaper, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, that the city won’t let him haul away his wreckage without a permit.
However, he couldn’t get a permit until he had paid off his entire 2020 tax bill–even for months that haven’t happened yet.
Blyly, who ponied up the $8,847 in taxes last week but has still yet to receive his demolition permit, he said, Minneapolis has not been particularly friendly toward business for some time. They say they want to be helpful, but they certainly have not been.”
Minneapolis claims that state law forces them to collect taxes before issuing construction permits, but neighboring St. Paul has stepped in to waive the fee on looted businesses.
Nearly 100 businesses in Minneapolis were destroyed or severely damaged after the riots, which followed the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
Most of those buildings still need to be demolished–but, with no income, business owners are struggling to pay an entire year’s worth of property taxes.
Even after receiving a permit, owners still face tens of thousands of dollars in demolition and rebuilding expenses.
