11-13-2002 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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with less than six weeks notice. The increase had no apparent relationship to the cost of 2 providing the service. 3 4 Response: State agencies should be required to demonstrate the need for increases in 5 service fees, and should give adequate notice of increases to allow local governments to 6 budget for the increases. State agencies should set administrative service fees as close as 7 possible to the marginal cost of providing the service. Local government should be given 8 the option to self - administer or contract with the private sector for the service if the state 9 cannot provide the service at a reasonable cost. 10 11 FF 21. Equity in Library Funding (GC) 12 13 Issue: Many community libraries in Minnesota are city owned. Although located in an 14 individual community, city libraries serve a much wider area. 15 16 Response: The League supports equity in availability of quality library services to 17 city and township residents. Accordingly, the League supports equity in local property tax 18 levies for libraries. In some Minnesota counties, there are wide disparities between city and 19 rural tax burdens for library services. There should be more equity in the property tax. 20 21 IMPROVING LOCAL ECONOMIES LE -1. Growth Management and Annexation (RS) 24 25 Issue: Unplanned and uncontrolled urban growth has a negative environmental, fiscal, 26 and governmental impact on cities, counties, and state governments because it increases the cost 27 of providing government services and results in the loss of natural resource areas and prime 28 agricultural land. 29 30 Response: The League believes the existing framework for guiding growth and 31 development primarily through local plans and controls adopted by local governments 32 should form the basis of a statewide planning policy, and that the state should not adopt a 33 mandatory comprehensive statewide planning process. Rather, the state should: 34 35 ® Provide additional financial and technical assistance to local governments for 36 cooperative planning and growth management issues, particularly where new 37 comprehensive plans have been mandated by the Legislature. 38 • Clearly establish the public purposes served by existing statewide controls such as shore 39 land zoning and wetlands conservation; clarify, simplify, and streamline these controls; 40 eliminate duplication in their administration; and fully defend and hold harmless any 41 local government sued for a "taking" as a result of executing state land use policies. 42 • Give cities broader authority to extend their zoning, subdivision, and other land -use controls up to two miles outside the city's boundaries, regardless of the existence of county or township controls, to ensure conformance with city facilities and services.