Title
Approving the legislative agenda of the City of Saint Paul for the 2015 Minnesota legislative session.
Body
RESOLUTION OUTLINING THE CITY OF SAINT PAUL'S 2015 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul is a major center of commerce and business activity; and
WHEREAS, cities provide important public services including police, fire, public works, code enforcement, libraries, parks and recreation, housing and economic development, and city administration; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul, as the capital city, must protect and enhance its community cultural, educational, and entertainment assets of statewide importance which contribute to our regional economic competitiveness; and
WHEREAS the City of Saint Paul continues to act with purpose to ensure that people in our region can live and work in a diverse, vibrant community with quality educational opportunities, safe streets and modern infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul is challenged to address the societal impacts related to the academic achievement gap, employment disparities, and the concentration of poverty; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul welcomes a continued partnership with the governor and legislature to help stabilize property taxes, create economic development, improve public safety, and repair or replace our core infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul encourages the governor and legislature to view all legislative action through an equity lens and that legislation proposed and passed avoid further marginalization and continuing disparities.
Now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, that the following items are the legislative agenda of the City of Saint Paul for the 2015 Minnesota legislative session:
Revenue, Taxes and Finance
· Advocate for the continued restoration of previous cuts to LGA and add a growth factor for the cost of providing city services.
· Oppose state-imposed levy limits and ensure maximum flexibility for local revenue options.
· Support strategies for a regional tax base including fiscal disparities and sales tax equalization.
· Advocate for development opportunities at the Ford Site Tax Increment Financing.
· Oppose elimination of the solid waste management tax.
Capital Investment and Economic Stimulus
· Advocate for the following projects in the 2015 state bonding bill:
o Reconstruction of Kellogg Bridge - $40 million
o Environmental Learning Center at the Watergate Marina - $19.5 million
o Como Zoo Habitat Preservation Exhibit Renovation - $14.5 million
o Regional Public Safety Facility in Saint Paul - $6.5 million
o Wakan Tipi Center at Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary- $3 million
· Support the following projects:
o Minnesota Museum of American Art project funding request - $3 million;
o Minnesota Humanities Center asset preservation and remediation project funding request - $1.6 million
o Dorothy Day ReVision facility project funding request
o Improvements to Pig's Eye Regional Park and Pig's Eye Lake - $500,000
o Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission's request for planning dollars to design an Urban Regional Sports Center
o Funding from the DNR's Flood Hazard Mitigation program, or other programs, for a permanent flood damage reduction system in the Lowertown area of downtown Saint Paul for the purpose of minimizing the adverse impacts of flooding in the area.
Transportation
· Advocate for a new dedicated revenue to city streets across the state. This includes at least a $200 million bonding appropriation to the Local Road Improvement Program.
· Advocate for funding for a new Kellogg/3rd Street bridge to return this critical artery to full capacity and functionality. This includes state and federal resources. This also includes at least $200 million in bonding to the local bridge account for bridges across the state.
· Advocate for additional funding for transit projects across the region, including a sales tax increase for metro transit.
· Support the implementation of streetcars, including recognition of streetcars as a potential transit way mode for metropolitan regional planning, and the identification of funding for planning, study and construction.
· Support legislation that furthers the goals of Tax Increment Financing for Transit-Oriented Development, including the inclusion of parks and open space development as an eligible expense within any TIF for TOD legislation as well as the use of increment for the development of affordable housing.
· Oppose any efforts to increase the speed limit on I-35 through Saint Paul, as determined by a federal lawsuit settlement.
· Support MnDOT's efforts in continued maintenance funding and other additional resources to better meet the department's needs.
· Support funding for the statewide Complete Streets policy, requiring that all new and reconstructed streets accommodate all users of those streets, including motor vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles, and people in wheelchairs.
· Support funding of a statewide effort to educate motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians about the rules of the road and best practices in order to increase safety and decrease crashes, injuries, and fatalities. Support an increase in penalties to those causing injuries and fatalities.
· Support the selected preferred alternative and funding of the Gateway Transit Corridor extending from McKnight Road to the Union Depot in Saint Paul.
· Support Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority (RCRRA) in the continued development and funding of the Riverview Transit Corridor.
· Support changing state law to give local governments the ability to reduce the default speed limit on residential streets from 30 mph to 25 mph.
· Monitor legislative activity related to railroads.
Parks and Trails
· Support and equitable distribution of funds through the Legacy Amendment.
· Support fully funding the Metro Parks biennial budget at 40 percent of parks financial needs.
· Support funding designed to help Saint Paul and other communities slow the spread of EAB and move toward reforestation of their urban forests, including trees that provide millions of dollars in economic, environmental and social benefits.
· Support the MPCA application and program funding included in the 2015 LCCMR recommendations that will develop a volunteer forester program with Saint Paul included as one of the pilot cities.
· Monitor efforts by state agencies to fund Invasive Carp mitigation and population control programs.
· Monitor legislative activities regarding the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Areas rulemaking process.
· Monitor legislation related to pollinators.
Education and Workforce
· Support legislative efforts that increase access to high quality early childcare and education opportunities.
· Support a new state public funding stream to fund competitive grants for afterschool programs targeted to youth below 185% of poverty.
· Supports a robust statewide appropriation of $10 million through DEED for the Youth Workforce Development Grant program, and support reforms to improve the grant application process for cities.
· Support efforts to increase state funding for job search assistance, skills training, childcare, and related programs to help people find and retain employment.
· Support additional state resources and policies that assist cities in creating sustainable environments for their citizens.
· Support the reclassification of the Central Certification Program (CERT) Application Information as non-public and the streamlining of the CERT application process.
Public Safety
· Support permanent funding for Survivor Resources.
· Support establishing a minimum 90-day retention period for Automated License Plate Reader data, as long as the LPR data is deemed to be "confidential" data under Minnesota Law.
· Support clarification in state law regarding the use of "Traveling Data."
· Support reforms that address many of the areas lacking in our current gun control laws, including universal background checks and bans on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips.
· Support a biennial allocation of $6 million per year for the State Disaster Assistance Contingency Fund to help build up a fund balance, increasing the reliability of the fund both short- and long-term.
· Support the Minnesota Fire Safety Account funding change from a yearly authorization to a standing appropriation to fund critical services
· Adding Minnesota statute 609.496 - Concealing Criminal Proceeds - to the list of forfeitable offenses and monitor other legislative changes to the state's forfeiture laws including removing DUI from forfeitable offenses.
Housing, Economic and Community Stability
· Advocate for local government tools to address housing of all types and monitor foreclosure prevention and remediation activities.
· Support legislative efforts to finance rehabilitation of older housing stock in low and moderate income Census tracts; address the demand for housing for the long-term homeless; provide new public housing and publicly-assisted low-income housing; and provide new housing construction, at a range of income levels.
· Support land use and economic development incentives to benefit redevelopment and job creation at the Ford Plant Site.
· Support dedicated State funding for programs at the Department of Employment and Economic Development focusing on women and minority-owned businesses, redevelopment areas and transit improvement areas.
· Support UFCW efforts to create a fund for construction of grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods in urban and rural areas.
· Support incentives, mandates, and policies that increase distributed generation technologies, such as solar photovoltaic, solar thermal production, wind, combined heat and power for both public and private entities.
· Support expansion of programs to provide low cost financing to improve the energy efficiency of existing homes and buildings, particularly those in low and moderate income communities hit hard by the foreclosure/vacant housing crisis.
· Support legislation to streamline and improve the zoning amendment process for cities of the first class.
· Support legislation creating statewide paid parental leave.
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
· Support the 2015 legislative agendas of Ramsey County, Saint Paul Port Authority, League of Minnesota Cities, Metro Cities, Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, The Homes for All Coalition, Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood, and the Saint Paul Public School District, except in cases of conflict.