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While the first half of session has a lot to do with learning what’s included in specific bills, gathering information, testifying about our position, educating legislators - and then watching to see what gets traction, AFTER the spring break is when “things get real” (that means now). It’s at this point that we generally know (for the most part) what is actually moving forward and what is still problematic for us.
With that in mind, here is an outline of issues and proposals we’ve flagged as “still concerning". These are the bills we will continue to most actively work on in the days and weeks ahead:
SMALL CITY ASSISTANCE FIX: Last year we THOUGHT small cities would get $23 million over the biennium. That’s what was promised, in the legislation that passed. Unfortunately the Mn DOT interpreted the bill language differently and as a result these funds will be delayed a year unless the legislature agrees to our proposed fix: SF4899 /HF4872 would restore the funding and do it this summer. This bill will be heard again on Wednesday in the Senate.
EMS: MN Small Cities have been strongly supportive of efforts to provide emergency funding to EMS services. The funding bill has had hearings in both the House and Senate, with MN Small Cities testifying in favor each time. We are asking for $122.5 million in one-time funding to EMS services throughout the state. Unfortunately, legislative leaders signed a budget agreement last week that only allows for $16 million in EMS funding .… woefully short what we are seeking. We do not think this is the final deal and our authors and supporters have assured us to keep pushing.
Committee members do seem to understand the great need, but there is concern on the part of some that this is just a band-aid and we will end up back in the same boat again very soon if we do not also adopt the bill that would entirely restructure the EMSRB - HF4738.
ESST for ON CALL FIREFIGHTERS: MN Small Cities have and will continue to push the MN Dept of Labor and Industry for greater clarification on exactly how to apply ESST to paid on-call firefighters. They have offered a smattering of answers; most of which have not been clear. So, we are continuing with our pushes for greater clarity before session ends.
BROADBAND: One of the broadband bills being heard this session would require all projects funded with federal dollars to use only contractors that pay prevailing wage. This could cause issues with the soon-to-come rollout of federal dollars and may be incompatible with the guidelines; putting our federal application in jeopardy.. Also, the private sector has already signaled they would not apply for projects if this restriction is in place. Obviously, that would result in greater Minnesota being further and further behind in broadband accessibility. We are having ongoing discussions with stakeholders to address these proposals, in an effort to ensure the federal funds are being rolled out in a timely manner and not interrupted.
HOUSING: 2024 has been a long session, FULL of housing bills, many of which reduce local cities’ authority. The most egregious bill was recently amended in the House, to all but eliminate small cities from these onerous policies (with just the parking restriction remaining). That’s a WIN, but we still have much work to do in the Senate to convince them to agree with their House counterparts. That being said, things seem to be trending in a promising direction.
OPEN MEETING LAWS: There are three Open Meeting Laws moving through the Senate. Two of them would change requirements around remote participation and public comment periods. The third is concerning in that, in its attempt to address closed meetings for attorney-client privilege it creates personal liability for council members and city staffers. Not only is this an issue for current council members and staff, but we imagine it will be difficult to recruit future city leaders if they are to be held personally responsible for decisions about when a closed meeting is valid or not. It’s possible this bill is currently stalled in the Senate Judiciary, since prior to ‘First Deadline’ that committee laid it over for more work to be done, when a number of committee members questioned its practical application and unintended consequences. We are still working to reduce the bill’s impact on small cities.
ELECTIONS: We mentioned this in last week’s update but since it’s still concerning, it made the list this week too. SF4729 (amended) would require ALL cities to begin using a .gov address by 2028. This can be a costly process - especially for small cities - and we are opposed to this new language without a provision that would include funding to help cities make the change.
BONDING: Also highlighted last week, HF3582 / SF3782 would require that before receiving state bonding dollars, a city would need to demonstrate that they have set aside money to pay for maintenance and replacement expenses after project completion. This is a very high hurdle for small cities seeking state assistance for wastewater and drinking water projects through PFA. It will likely prevent a majority of small cities from seeking state assistance for infrastructure in the future.
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