Laserfiche WebLink
Staff Report <br />To:Mayor Fischer and Members of the City Council <br />From:Bryce Shearen, City Administrator <br />Laura Linehan, Assistant City Administrator <br />Date: January 28, 2026 <br />Re:Discussion of 2026 Legislative Priorities <br />Action To Be Considered: <br />No formal action. The purpose of the legislative priorities discussion is to gauge council interest <br />in formalizing legislative priorities for the city. <br />Background: <br />Historically, the City Council has not adopted or discussed formal city-endorsed legislative <br />priorities. Several neighboring communities, including Arden Hills, Roseville, and Shoreview, <br />have formalized legislative priorities discussed and approved annually by their city councils. <br />Most recently, the council discussed legislative priorities on January 8, 2025, and recommended <br />supporting Metro Cities and the League of Minnesota Cities' legislative priorities rather than <br />developing individual priorities for the city. <br />The 2026 legislative session will begin on February 17, the second year of the state's biennium <br />budget. <br />Should the council wish to consider formalizing a list of legislative priorities, it is important to <br />note that the list of priorities is not meant to be comprehensive; rather, they are the most <br />important areas to focus our time advocating, should the council wish to adopt. The League of <br />Minnesota Cities and Metro Cities will also advocate on behalf of their member cities, which <br />include Little Canada. <br />PROPOSED 2026 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES: <br />Pedestrian Bridge Capital Request <br />The City of Little Canada has an active $7.5 million request outlined in Governor Walz's 2026 <br />Infrastructure Plan. Little Canada's request: Connecting Little Canada's East and West Sides: <br />Interstate 35 Pedestrian Bridge, while listed, does not guarantee legislative action. <br />As mentioned above, the League of Minnesota Cities and Metro Cities have several legislative <br />priorities for 2026. Staff has recommended formally supporting several legislative priorities from <br />each organization and is seeking feedback about adding or removing any priorities. <br />Recommended legislative priorities are outlined below and are a starting point for discussion. <br />The full priorities for the League of Minnesota Cities and Metro Cities can be found online.