Rural Minnesota cities are getting hammered by the cuts in state aid, says an opinion piece in the Duluth News Tribune co-authored by gubernatorial candidate Matt Entenza.

 Entenza is board chairman for Minnesota 2020, a liberal St. Paul-based think tank. His co-author, Jeff Van Wychen, is a Minnesota 2020 Fellow.

Their group surveyed Minnesota mayors and found nonmetro Minnesota mayors are worried about providing critical city services, after a nearly 50 percent decline in state aid to rural cities over the past six years.

Those cuts "have compelled cities to increase property taxes at the same time they’re cutting funding for basic local services like public safety, parks and libraries," they say.

The conclusion: "It’s time for the governor and state policymakers to practice the accountability they preach by relying more on state spending cuts and state tax increases to solve the state’s budget problems and less on reductions in funding that cities rely on for basic day-to-day services."