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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Resolution 2002-027CITY OF PLYMOUTH RESOLUTION 2002-027 ADOPTING PRIORITY ISSUES FOR THE 2002 LEGISLATIVE SESSION BE IT RESOLVED by the Plymouth City Council that the following issues are legislative priorities for the City of Plymouth in the 2002 session: State Budget Cuts. Cities that have already lost a large amount of state aid or that no longer receive any significant state aid should be exempted from any further budget cuts by the Legislature in 2002, especially when some cities received a net increase in aid through tax reform. Local Development Fees. State law provides that local development fees cannot be charged in excess of actual costs. Cities are required to monitor and report this information effective January 1, but have received no forms and no instructions for how to begin tracking fees and costs. The City opposes any legislative effort to fi rther restrict the City's ability to determine local development fees. 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 State hazardous material response teams should also be restored. The 2002 State Legislature should support and fiend 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. 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 provide additional resources to encourage the development of affordable housing for both of these groups. 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. CriMNet. Minnesota is taking steps to build and implement an integrated, statewide system to allow police, sheriffs, judges, prosecutors, probation and corrections officers to share information with each other. The Legislature provided fiunding in 2000 for the first step in the process, and it is important for the State to take the lead in this investment and not to impose unfair and unaffordable burdens on local law enforcement and local government. The City of Plymouth urges support and fiinding of CriMNet. 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 for businesses that employ firefighters and/or allow firefighters to respond to fires during work hours; tax credits for firefighters; and payment of tuition for a firefighter and their family at state colleges. Surface Water Quality Plans. As mandated by the State, the City Council has adopted a surface water quality plan and committed significant local funds for implementation. Because lakes and watersheds often cross municipal boundaries, the City Council requests that the State consider increased fiunding or bonding for water quality improvements to enhance fiunding at the local level. Transportation Funding. The entire economy benefits from a sound and adequately funded transportation system, but resources for roads have fallen short. Additional resources are needed to provide a high quality, efficient metropolitan and local transportation systems. The City encourages the legislature to establish a mechanism for increased transportation fiunding. Phosphorus in Fertilizer. Lake water quality may be maintained and improved if the amount of lawn fertilizer and other chemicals entering the lakes as a result of storm water runoff can be regulated. The City of Plymouth has enacted an ordinance prohibiting the use of fertilizer containing any quantity of phosphorous except in extremely limited situations. The City supports legislation at the state level to restrict the sale and use of fertilizer containing phosphorus, except in limited situations when warranted and when it is generally protected from runoff. Adopted by the Plymouth City Council on January 8, 2002.