Welcome to Buffalo, MN

About Buffalo, Minnesota:

Buffalo considers itself the perfect mix of old and new.

Just off I-94 and 35 miles from the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Buffalo is a community close to metro conveniences while maintaining its hometown feel. An eclectic mix of cobblestone streets and recreational lakes, Buffalo attracts residents and visitors alike.

Points of Interest:

Buffalo Civic Center
Lake Pulaski
Buffalo Lake
Sturges Park and Pavilion
Skate Park
Deer Lake Orchard
Rodeo
Riding Stables

Buffalo includes the friendly communities of Grandview, Grandview Townhomes, Bella Vista on the Lake, Rodeo Hills, Willow Glen, Sundance Ridge, Sundance Ridge Twin Homes, Mills Woods, Willow Glen Vineyards, Willow Glen Townhomes, Setters Pointe, Shonhaugen Townhomes, Tidberg, Dale Johnson Addition, Tower Hill Condo, Pulaski Lake Shores, Willow Creek, Willow Ridge Townhomes, Bison Meadows, Sunset Ponds, Bushnells, Sunset Ridge, Cottage Bluffs, Taylors, Roberts Ridge, Wagon Wheel Estates, Myhran Park Estates, Parkside Meadows, Pine Meadows, Lakeview Heights, Whispering Winds, , Kjellbergs Oak Hill, Cedar South, Southgate Estates, Buffalo Run Town Homes, Foxwood, Pulaski Ponds, Davis, East Land Estates, Greenview, Copper Creek, Prairie View, Ridge Haven, Buffalo Run Estates, Trapper's Pond, Hazelwood East, Pinewood Acres, Serenity Hills, Sturges Park, Bella Vista, Longbow Lake, Westridge Park, Prairie View, Albert Villas, Cedar Creek North, North Pulaski Beach, Westridge Park and Westcliffe.

Buffalo, Minnesota

Green Acres legislation draws farmers' ire
Hundreds of Wright County farmers filled the Rockford Township Hall southeast of Buffalo last week, as Wright County Assessor Greg Kramber tried to guide local men and women through the changes to the Minnesota Agricultural Property Tax Laws’ so-called Green Acres program.Legislators changed the program, which has been in place for 40 years, last year during a last minute review of the state’s omnibus tax bill. The changes take effect in 2009, and could cost farmers thousands of dollars in deferred taxes.Under the program as it exists today, a lower taxable value was created for land farmers deemed “non-agricultural.” The formula took market value and subtracted the ag value, creating a lower tax assessment on land such as sloughs, woods, land enrolled in conservation programs and other non-farmable property.Tax payments on land such as this were deferred, and the farmer would, in turn, pay the difference.Now, under the new legislation, land used for productive ag purposes is given preferential treatment, and non-productive lands are no longer considered eligible for deferment through the Green Acres program unless a farmer chooses to “grandfather” them in under the old guidelines.However, problems arise if anything at all should change on the status of the land “grandfathered in.” Should the farmer sell his property to a developer, or leave an estate to members of his or her family, for example, those deferred tax payments for anywhere from three to seven years ago would become due.That’s where the controversy begins.“It’s, essentially, another death tax,” one farmer said. “It’s another way to tax hard-working families in rural Minnesota. I just don’t get it.”Kramber gave an example of a farmer near Otsego whose land contained a small section of woods in between two fields.The woods were enrolled in Green Acres as non-productive land.Due to the changes in legislation, that farmer has three options. Do nothing - The farmer can leave all of his land in the program, understanding that should something change in the next few years (unless the law is changed again), he would be forced to pay seven years of deferred taxes on the non-productive land (the section of woods). Remove all of his land from Green Acres - The farmer would then pay deferred taxes on his entire property for the last three years (2006, 2007, and 2008) or however long he has listed the land in Green Acres, whichever is less. Remove the section of woods from Green Acres - The farmer would owe three years of deferred taxes on, presumably, the wooded area. The rest of the land could and would remain in the program. However, again, if that remaining land were to change status, deferred taxes could be owed by the farmer’s family.Sen. Amy Koch and Rep. Bruce Anderson were both in attendance at the meeting, and both said they will be co-authoring bills to remove the changes to Green Acres from the 2008 tax bill.“The governor has said he is behind any sort of bill that would remove these changes to the program, and that he would sign that immediately,” Anderson said. “However, the problem is the party that is in control (the DFL) needs to be challenged. They have members who say the changes are needed.”Koch said the bill needs to come quickly, and that letters and petitions are needed at the State Capitol to reach the party in power.“This has to be legislation that is separate and that moves fast,” she said. “Our farmers need this program.”More than 90 percent of Wright County farmers participate in Green Acres, enrolling more than 300,000 acres in the program each year. That’s huge participation, and probably one of the highest rates in the state, Kramber said.The assessor said the changes are causing headaches for branches of government and conservation groups all around Minnesota.Assessors’ offices are being swamped with calls in counties, like Wright, Hennepin and even Sherburne, where participation is high. And, local county boards are being inundated with requests from constituents.Conservation groups are concerned that farmers will remove land in Green Acres from the program, tilling up key conservation land such as riverbanks, low-lying land (not wetland, per se), and wooded areas - where farmers could remove trees and turn the soil over.“This was just a terrible thing that really came through at the last minute,” Anderson said in October, prior to his recent re-election. “It was never really reviewed the way it should have been, and I think a lot of people missed it. Tom Emmer (representative from eastern Wright County) and I noticed it late and tried to stop it from being a part of the omnibus tax bill, but it didn’t happen.”The Wright County Assessor’s Office has sent out forms regarding Green Acres intent, and will be sending out another set of literature regarding the program in December.Farmers need to hurry if they want to make changes for 2009. All papers must be returned by Dec. 15, 2008.After that date, those who are wanting to make status changes on their land enrolled in the Green Acres program would be forced to pay the larger deferment fee.Kramber said there isn’t much time to answer a lot of questions that are still out there.“We’re getting more and more calls every day,” he said. “Our staff is doing the best we can to keep up with everything. The main thing is, don’t shoot the messenger. We didn’t ask for this.”For more information, contact the assessor’s office at 763-682-7367. The assessor’s office is located at 10 2nd St. NW, Room 240, Buffalo.More information is also available online at the Wright County Web site, www.co.wright .mn.us. Reprinted From Monticello Times

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