Title
Supporting local decision-making authority.
Body
WHEREAS, local elected decision-makers are in the best position to determine what health, safety and welfare regulations best serve their constituents; and
WHEREAS, like state legislative leaders, local elected officials are held accountable through Minnesota’s robust elections process; and
WHEREAS, ordinances at the local level are enacted only after a comprehensive, legal and open process; and
WHEREAS, local units of government are required to publish notices about meetings where policies will be discussed and decisions will be made; and
WHEREAS, under the state’s Open Meeting Law, public policy discussions and decisions must occur in meetings that are accessible to members of the public; and
WHEREAS, cities are often laboratories for determining public policy approaches to the challenges that face residents and businesses; and
WHEREAS, preservation of local control in Minnesota has yielded statewide benefits such as the 2007 Freedom to Breathe Act, an amendment to the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act; and
WHEREAS, more than two dozen bills that restrict local decision-making have been introduced in 2017 to date;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Saint Paul City Council supports local decision-making authority and opposes legislation that removes the ability for local elected officials to respond to the needs of their businesses and constituents.