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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Resolution 2001-029CITY OF PLYMOUTH RESOLUTION 2001-029 ESTABLISHING PRIORITY ISSUES FOR THE 2001 LEGISLATIVE SESSION BE IT RESOLVED by the Plymouth City Council that the following issues are established as priorities for the City of Plymouth in the 2001 legislative session: 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 When the State was experiencing a budget shortfall in 1992, the Legislature repealed the sales tax exemption for local government purchases.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. This costs property taxpayers about $90 million a year, adding to the state's revenue surplus. 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. In the event that the sales tax is extended to services such as auditors, engineers, attorneys, and the like, services provided to cities should be exempted. 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. The City urges the Legislature to provide additional resources to encourage the development of affordable housing for both of these groups. In addition, the Legislature needs to eliminate restrictions or disincentives that discourage the use of available resources, such as TIF, to develop affordable housing. Cities also need to be empowered by the Legislature to use their land use powers to encourage the development of the appropriate mix of affordable life cycle housing by the private sector. Local control of residential speed limits. State law currently controls all speed limits on residential streets. Legislation is requested allowing more flexibility for local officials to establish speed limits for residential streets that do not have an impact on neighboring cities. Youth Access to Alcohol: 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. • Compliance Checks. The City of Plymouth encourages the State to mandate statewide alcohol compliance checks and to provide adequate fiinding for this activity. • Wine Sales in Grocery Stores. 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. Resolution No. 2001-029 Page 2 of 2 Local Control/Unfunded Mandates. Local governments are empowered by the Legislature to determine many issues within statutory and charter limits. The City opposes legislation that undermines or erodes local control, as well as state -imposed mandated services or procedures that result in added local costs. However, cities must carefi lly and fairly evaluate the cost of state mandates and recognize that some mandates may save money in the long term 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 fiinding 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. Metropolitan Council Planning Role. The Metropolitan Council serves as a long-range planning agency and operator of select regional services. The City of Plymouth believes that the powers of the Metropolitan Council should be limited and not expanded so as not to override city responsibilities, especially land use regulation authority. Election Reform. The City urges the State to address election reform by addressing current problems with increased absentee voting and by exploring new voting methods such as advanced open voting. 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 for water quality improvements to enhance fiunding at the local level. Adopted by the Plymouth City Council on January 9, 2001.