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GG-7 ADMINISTRATIVE FINES <br />Metro Cities also supports adopting the international energy conservation code to the <br />state building code without amendments. Metro Cities does not support legislative <br />solutions that fail to recognize the interrelationships among builders, state building <br />codes and cities. <br />Metro Cities supports efforts to increase awareness of the potential impacts and <br />benefits of requiring sprinklers in new homes and townhouses. Metro Cities supports <br />discussion and the dissemination of information on these impacts via the code adoption <br />process through the Department of Labor and Industry. Metro Cities supports adopting <br />and amending the State Building Code through the rulemaking process and opposes <br />legislative changes to building codes absent unusual or extraordinary circumstances. <br />As energy costs continue to rise, more attention must be paid to the poor energy <br />efficiency of much of the existing housing stock as well as commercial and industrial <br />buildings. Homes and other buildings that are energy inefficient are more costly to <br />maintain and create added cost to ownership and occupancy. Making homes and <br />buildings more energy efficient will make them more affordable to operate and will help <br />the state achieve energy demand goals and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. <br />This includes supporting legislation to increase the efficiency of buildings on a pathway <br />toward net zero energy. <br />Metro Cities supports state funding and technical support for programs that provide <br />support for property owners for weatherization and energy efficiency improvements, <br />including programs available for local governments. <br />While a single set of coordinated codes helps provide consistency in code <br />administration and enforcement, implementation of sustainable building design, <br />construction, and operation does not readily integrate with the existing state building <br />and energy code system. As a result, many cities are interested in adopting stronger <br />local standards for sustainable development and conservation. <br />Metro Cities supports authorizing cities to employ stronger local standards for <br />sustainable development and conservation that will help inform the state code <br />development process. <br />The state should include an optional sustainable appendix to the State Building Code <br />to allow cities to utilize appropriate parts of guidelines in their communities. Metro <br />Cities also supports the state adopting an advanced energy building standard for <br />buildings within the State Building Code and allowing cities to adopt their own <br />enhanced standards. <br />Administrative fines can be used to moderate local costs associated with traditional <br />methods of citation, enforcement, and prosecution. Metro Cities supports the <br />administrative fine authority that allows cities to issue administrative fines for defined <br />local traffic offenses and supports further modifications to enhance functionality of this <br />authority. Metro Cities continues to support cities’ authority to use administrative fines <br />for regulatory ordinances such as building codes, zoning codes, health codes, and <br />public safety and nuisance ordinances. 16