This week, Governor Walz and legislative leaders unveiled their outline for state spending after weeks of anticipation. We are concerned that the amount of funding for lead line replacement will be grossly insufficient. Cities have made great progress, but many still have lead lines remaining and state funding will be exhausted . . .
With less than three weeks left before the legislative session ends, uncertainty remains about whether a bonding bill will move forward. With so many vital projects on the line, it is more important than ever that CGMC members and other stakeholders put pressure on legislators and focus their attention on . . .
Yesterday, the House Elections Finance & Government Operations Committee heard the renewed zoning preemption bill (H.F. 3895) that seeks to infringe on cities' zoning and land use authority. After hearing testimony from CGMC members and others, committee members voted down the bill 5-7, a win that brings us one step closer to defeating this harmful bill.
This week, a renewed version of the "Yes to Homes" bill—now titled the "Starter Homes Act"—will be heard by Minnesota lawmakers. This bill would substitute the judgement of legislators’ and unaccountable developers for that of city officials and local residents regarding the future development of our cities.
Yesterday, the Governor, House DFL and Republican Leadership, and Senate DFL leadership agreed to a global state budget framework to complete the legislative session. The agreement provides high-level guidance to budget conference committees and negotiators on individual bills, such as the Omnibus Tax Bill.
Yesterday, the Senate Taxes Committee passed their version of the Tax Omnibus Bill out of committee. The bill (S.F. 2374), authored by Senate Tax Chair Ann Rest (DFL-New Hope) makes a permanent cut of $20 million a year to the local government aid program (LGA). The CGMC testified in strong opposition against the proposal.