8.4. SR 07-31-1995 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

~ , League of Minnesota Cities :~ Cities bulletin ~~ Number 23 June 9, 1995 1995 legislative session comes to an end Gary Carlson The 1995 legislative session might best be summarized as a session where bad ideas flourished. Fortunately, few became law. Members of the House authored 1,999 bills and Senators introduced 1,788 proposals before the end of the session, a rate eclipsing that of the 1993 appropriation session. A significant number of the nearly 4,000 bills introduced this session, if enacted into law, would have had some measurable impact on cities. The pre-session events started off on a sour note with a relatively weak budget forecast in November. Based on the weak budget projections, the Governor proposed a budget in January that included a reduction of $77 million in city LGA and HACA. The bad news did non stop there. With few additional state resources at their disposal, lawmakers seemed to turn their attention to local government. This, in turn, led to several disagreeable notions including. aid distribution councils, reverse referenda requirement for city and county levy increases, salary caps for local officials, the property tax freeze, taxation of state and municipal bond interest, two-day elections, preemption of local regulation of shooting ranges, and the list goes on and on. From the outset of the session, taxes were taboo. In fact, even non-tax revenue enhancements such as user fees or service. charges were attacked as. back-door tax increases. For example, when the League met with legislators to request compensation for the use of public rights-of-way for telecommuni- cations purposes, legislators were concerned that taxpayers would interpret this as a tax increase. With these perceived constraints affecting legislators, it was apparent early on that requests for additional funding for cities would be futile. It was also apparent that cities would be forced to defend and protect remaining state shared revenues such as LGA and HACA. When evaluating the outcomes of the session, it may appear to have ended in a draw -- few favorable new initiatives for cities, but also remark- ably few negative or onerous new laws imposed. The drama of the 1995 session may have been more intriguing, however, than many previous sessions. Up to the last day of the regular session, cities battled proposals to slash HACA and LGA funding. Last minute proposals to do so were tied to funding our state's complicated K-12 education finance system. In addition, legislation to preempt local authority to regulate tobacco sates and zoning of shooting ranges were actively pursued and indicative of other efforts to diminish the importance and authority of cities. Nonetheless, cities can claim victory on several fronts. Page 4 -Policy development Page LS 1 -New taws LMC policy committee work A complete summary of new begins in July. New committee laws affecting cities begins on members are always welcome. page LS 1. State aid to cities Despite the Governor's proposal to slash funding for cities, the League and other city affiliate groups succeeded in minimizing the impact of the proposed ` See Session, page 3 ., The league sends the Cities Bulletin to the mayor and to the :'administrator or clerk. Be sure to routeit to your councilmembers and department heads.