CCAgenda_04Mar24 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

FALCON HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -4- March 10, 2004 Tax and Expenditure Limitations (TEL) Resolution (continued) Council member Lamb said the State is usurping local government's responsibility to run local municipalities. Most City governments have acted responsibly, and over the last few years they have been more responsible than the State. He spoke briefly about unfunded mandate, a requirement to perform an action but with no money allocated, i.e. the Federal government issued a mandate to the State about surface water cleanup, but provided no money to accomplish that goal. The State passed through the responsibility for surface water cleanup to municipalities but also allocated no money. Initially, it appeared this would cost Falcon Heights about $50,000, but it came in at less than that. If it had, the City would have had to cut City services such as police, fire and streets. What's local government for? All municipalities do is figure out ways to provide police, fire and roads. Take away local government's ability to spend money for services and local government is crippled. Mayor Gehrz said the City Council has sent letters to its legislative representatives and has discussed this with them in person. They know where the City Council stands as the Council has held a number of workshop discussions about this. The City Council is doing more than just sending in a resolution. • RESOLUTION 2004-OS Lamb moved adoption of Resolution 2004-05, outlined below, opposing tax and expenditure limitation proposals (TABOR and Similar Proposals). The motion was unanimously approved. (The underlined paragraphs were added by the City Council.) WHEREAS, the Taxpayers League and others are endorsing proposals to amend the State Constitution to institute tax and expenditure limitations at the state, and potentially local, levels of government that could only be overridden by a vote of the people - an example of these proposals is the "Taxpayers Bill of Rights"; WHEREAS, such proposals would tie the hands of state and local leaders in times of crisis and other unpredictable circumstances, putting state and local governments on "auto pilot" and circumventing thoughtful consideration of policy decisions; WHEREAS, such proposals would prevent state and local officials from making the tough decisions they were elected to make, passing the responsibility for learning all aspects of often complex issues to citizens who have other jobs and responsibilities; WHEREAS, amending the constitution is a virtually irrevocable action and should only be undertaken when legislative remedies have proven inadequate; WHEREAS, such proposals are unnecessary - a "solution in search of a problem" - as demonstrated by lawmakers at both state and local levels of government taking action to deal with one of the worst budget crises to hit the State of Minnesota and, by result, Minnesota's cities; WHEREAS, this is further demonstrated by the fact that state and local spending as a percentage of personal income has actually declined in recent years, even before the 2003 deficit; `{