HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Packet 01-21-2004 SpecialAgenda
City of Plymouth
Special City Council Meeting
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
5:30 p.m.
Plymouth Creek Center
1480034 th Avenue
1. Call to Order
2. Discuss Legislative Priorities with Plymouth Area
Legislators
3. Adjourn
Agenda Number:
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Laurie Ahrens, City Manager,/Rt/
SUBJECT: Meeting with Area Legislator
DATE: January 16, 2004, for Special Council Meeting of January 21, 2004
The Council invited local legislators to meet on Wednesday, January 21, at 5:30 p.m. in the
Fireside Room at the Plymouth Creek Center. We have received confirmation that all plan to
attend, with the exception of Representative Jeff Johnson who has a conflict.
The City's 2004 Legislative Priorities have been shared with the legislators, and a copy is
attached.
CITY OF PLYMOUTH
PRIORITY ISSUES
FOR THE 2004 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
BE IT RESOLVED by the Plymouth City Council that the following issues are legislative
priorities for the City of Plymouth in the 2004 session:
Taxpayer Bill of Rights. State imposed limits on local government decision making, such as
Minnesota's proposed Taxpayer Bill of Rights legislation, are inconsistent with local
accountability and are rigid formula mechanisms that counter representative democracy and
challenge local units of government to plan with financial confidence.
Levy Limits. Levy limits should not be re-enacted for 2005 and beyond. Local government
officials should have the ability to make decisions on local taxation and service levels.
Wine Sales in Grocery Stores. Eliminating the sale of alcohol to minors has been a top priority
of the City of Plymouth for several years. The City conducts compliance checks and has adopted
a Best Practices Program. The City of Plymouth opposes the proposal to allow wine sales in
grocery stores or other venues where currently prohibited. The limit on points of sale for alcohol
aids in preventing youth access to alcohol.
Emergency Preparedness. Additional measures have been identified as necessary for
improved emergency preparedness at the state and local levels including training for local fire
and law enforcement personnel, additional detection and decontamination capability, additional
vaccinations/antidotes and protective equipment, and improved interagency communications.
The Legislature should support and fund these activities at both state and local levels to
improve our readiness to meet emergency conditions that may arise from either natural
disasters or terrorist attacks.
CriMNet. The City of Plymouth urges continued support and funding of CriMNet, as well as
improvements to enhance the integrity of the system.
Firefighter Staffing. Shortage of paid -on-call and volunteer firefighters is a statewide issue.
The City of Plymouth encourages the State to enact legislation to enhance recruitment and
retention of paid -on-call and volunteer firefighters. Consideration could be given to providing
tax credits and supplemental disability insurance.
Affordable and Life Cycle Housing. Economic and demographic trends indicate that
Minnesota's population is aging and workers need more affordable housing closer to where they
work. The region's population age 65 and older will likely double from the year 2000 to 2020.
Jobs in Plymouth are projected to increase approximately 27% during the same period. Housing
is both a statewide and local issue. The City urges the Legislature to maintain and increase
resources to the extent possible in order to encourage the development of affordable housing for
both of these groups. Local property taxes should not be relied upon to fund housing programs
because they increase the cost of housing for those most in need and have regressive impacts.
Surface Water Quality Plans. As mandated by the State, the City Council has adopted a
surface water quality plan and committed significant local fluids for implementation. Because
lakes and watersheds often cross municipal boundaries, the City Council requests that the State
maintain and increase funding or bonding, to the extent possible, for water quality improvements
to enhance funding at the local level.
Transportation Funding. The entire economy benefits from a sound and adequately funded
transportation system. To adequately address growing congestion, this system must be multi-
modal. Consequently, significantly greater resources are needed to provide high quality,
efficient systems that include both transit and highways. The City encourages the Legislature to
identify long-term funding sources with growth potential that will increase transportation
funding to levels that will allow the building of high quality, efficient metropolitan and local
transit and highway systems. In addition, local elected officials should continue to be included
in MnDOT's decision-making process when state -aid roads and highways are planned in a city.
Sales tax exemption on local government purchases. When the State was experiencing a
budget shortfall in 1992, the Legislature repealed the sales tax exemption for local government
purchases. Cities now pay state sales tax for purchases of items such as road maintenance
equipment and building materials. Since the Legislature provided no additional state aids to
offset the cost, this policy effectively increased local property taxes to finance state government
operations. The City supports legislation to reinstate the sales tax exemption for all local
government purchases.
Local control of residential speed limits. State law currently controls speed limits on
residential streets, with limited exception. Legislation is requested to allow more flexibility for
local officials to establish speed limits for residential streets that do not have an impact on
neighboring cities.
Construction Delays by Utility Companies. The City has experienced significant project
delays due to lack of timely response by utility companies in relocating utilities. Legislation is
requested to require that if a utility company fails to relocate utilities in a timely manner and
causes a delay in a construction project, they shall reimburse the City and contractor for costs
incurred due to the delay.
Sales Tax Exemption for Plymouth Iee Center Expansion. The original Plymouth Ice Center
was built under Mighty Ducks legislation, which included a provision for sales tax exempt status
on the construction. Because much of the cost for the current expansion project is being donated
through partners in a joint collaboration, the project is worthy of consideration for tax exempt
status.