For Immediate Release
January 23, 2024
Contact: Alex Wildfang
651-259-1917
ahwildfang@flaherty-hood.com
CGMC responds to legislators’ “People Over Parking” proposal
Time for the Minnesota Legislature to pump the breaks on new prohibitions, prescriptions, and preemptions on cities
ST. PAUL—Today, Sen. Omar Fateh (DFL-Minneapolis) and a group of advocates unveiled the “People Over Parking” proposal that would prohibit cities from making their own decisions about the parking needs in their communities.
“The Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities is strongly against this kind of intrusion on the ability of local elected officials to determine what is best for their communities,” said CGMC Executive Director Bradley Peterson. “Cities already have the authority to eliminate parking minimums if they choose, and this broad preemption of local authority ignores the vast diversity of communities in our state.
Instead, this proposal is premised on the idea that what is good for Minneapolis is automatically good for Mountain Lake, Moorhead, or Mahnomen. Let the folks in Mountain Lake, Moorhead, and Mahnomen decide for themselves. Lately, too much of what we have been seeing from the legislature fails to recognize the differences between the realities of the metro versus Greater Minnesota.
In 2023, the legislature gave local governments much to implement and respond to. The 2024 session needs to be focused on supporting those communities and otherwise concentrating on the basics. Pass a bonding bill and stabilize our EMS system—those should be the priorities for the 2024 session. New mandates and ‘bold’ ideas can wait.”
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The Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization representing cities outside of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The Coalition educates legislators about issues important to Greater Minnesota. Visit the CGMC at greatermncities.org and follow us on Twitter @greatermncities.
