Last week, the Legislature's budget writing committee voted 15-0 to approve a motion introduced by Sen. Marklein (R-Spring Green) and Rep. Born (R-Beaver Dam), at the League's request, removing stormwater management from the list of covered services for which any new or increased fee requires a levy limit reduction. Under the motion, municipalities that create a stormwater utility or increase stormwater fees will no longer need to reduce their allowable levy by the amount of fee revenue raised.

The committee passed the motion after rejecting the Governor's proposal to delete the entire covered services provision from the levy limit law. The committee had earlier removed from consideration as part of the state budget the Governor's recommendation to allow municipalities to increase their levy annually by the greater of 2 percent or net new construction.

Last week, the Joint Committee on Finance passed a motion along party lines reducing the percentage that each municipality assesses on video service providers based on their gross receipts by .5%, effective January 1, 2020, and 1%, effective January 1, 2021. The motion also created a state aid payment to compensate municipalities for these mandated fee reductions. The 2020 aid payment is to be based on the video service provider's 2018 gross receipts and the 2018 actual video service provider fee revenues.

As reported earlier, the Joint Committee on Finance rejected the Governor's budget recommendation to provide $40 million in bonding to help communities remove lead water service laterals. However, last week, the JFC voted unanimously to approve the following motions related to the Environmental Improvement Fund:

Clean Water Fund Bonding. Approve the Governor's recommendation to provide an increase of $13,500,000 in general obligation bonding authority for the clean water fund.

 

Safe Drinking Water Loan Program Bonding. Approve the Governor's recommendations to: (a) provide an increase of $3,550,000 in general obligation bonding authority for the safe drinking water loan program; (b) authorize issuance of revenue obligations for the safe drinking water loan program in a manner consistent with the existing authority for the clean water fund revenue obligations; and (c) specify that the current revenue obligations for the clean water fund program could also be used to issue revenue obligations for the safe drinking water loan program.

 

Safe Drinking Water Loan Term. Authorize the safe drinking water loan program to provide a maximum 30-year loan term, instead of the current maximum of 20 years, if the loan will be fully amortized not later than 30 years after the expected completion date of the project, and if repayment of principal and interest, if any, begins not later than 18 months after the expected completion date of the project that it funds, as determined by DOA. 

Last Wednesday, both the Assembly and the Senate held floor sessions. Votes were taken on the following bills of interest to municipalities:

SB 93, Authorizing a water pollution credit trading clearinghouse program. The Senate passed SB 93 by a unanimous vote. The Assembly has not yet taken any action on this bill or its Assembly companion, AB 113. The League supports this bill.

SB 83, Eliminating the four-liter limit on “Class B” licensees for sales of distilled spirits for off-premises consumption in municipalities that, by ordinance, allow such off-premises sales. Both the Senate and the Assembly passed this bill by voice vote. It has been sent to the Governor for his signature. The League is neutral on this bill.

AB 143, Expressly authorizing a municipality to enact an ordinance prohibiting a person from providing massage therapy or bodywork therapy, designating himself or herself as a massage therapist or bodywork therapist without a license issued by the state massage therapy credentialing board. The Assembly passed this bill by voice vote. The bill has been sent to the Senate and is available for the Senate to schedule for a floor vote. The League supports this bill.

The League will reimburse the mileage and parking expenses for all officials and staff from member municipalities who participate in Municipal Lobby Day in Madison on Wednesday, May 22.

This is the League's largest lobbying event of the legislative session. Interact face-to-face with legislators in the state Capitol and at lunch. The day begins at 9:00 at the Monona Terrace Convention Center, and includes a legislative briefing before walking to the Capitol for legislative meetings. The day ends with lunch at Monona Terrace. Governor Evers' chief of staff Maggie Gau will speak at lunch. Please join us for some or all of the day.