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©2 <br />0 <br />2 <br />6 <br /> <br />L <br />e <br />a <br />g <br />u <br />e <br /> <br />o <br />f <br /> <br />M <br />i <br />n <br />n <br />e <br />s <br />o <br />t <br />a <br /> <br />C <br />i <br />t <br />i <br />e <br />s <br />. <br /> <br />A <br />l <br />l <br /> <br />R <br />i <br />g <br />h <br />t <br />s <br /> <br />R <br />e <br />s <br />e <br />r <br />v <br />e <br />d <br />. <br />2026 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES <br />The League of Minnesota Cities promotes excellence in local government through <br />effective advocacy, expert analysis, and trusted guidance for all Minnesota cities. <br />LEAGUE OF MINNESOTA CITIES <br />League of <br />Minnesota Cities <br />MinnesotaCities <br />Minnesota_Cities <br />MinnesotaCities <br />#MnCities <br />Adult-Use Cannabis <br />We support the reinstatement of the Local Government <br />Cannabis Aid fund to ensure adequate funding for local <br />governments to implement the law and respond to <br />challenges resulting from the cannabis industry. <br />Bonding <br />We support a substantial bonding bill that includes <br />funding for water and wastewater infrastructure, <br />local roads and bridges, the local road wetland <br />replacement fund, and disaster assistance accounts. <br />Emergency Medical Services (EMS) <br />We support the accountability and transparency <br />recommendations of the EMS Delivery and <br />Sustainability Task Force and will remain engaged in <br />the work of the Minnesota Office of EMS. We support <br />funding and policies that recognize different EMS <br />models throughout Minnesota. <br />Housing <br />We support state-local partnerships that provide <br />policies and resources to address local housing <br />needs, while preserving local authority over zoning <br />and land use decisions. We encourage lawmakers <br />to focus on policies tailored to each community’s <br />unique needs. <br />Local Government Aid (LGA) <br />We support increasing LGA to reduce pressure on <br />the property tax and equalize property tax bases. <br />We also support indexing LGA to inflation so that aid <br />to cities keeps pace with rising costs. <br />Public Safety <br />We support ongoing state funding and policies that <br />enable cities and public safety personnel to respond <br />to community safety needs. <br />Water Infrastructure and Policies <br />We support workable, scientifically-supported water <br />quality regulations and programs, supported by <br />state-provided technical and financial resources <br />for municipal drinking water, stormwater, and <br />wastewater systems. <br />Employment Relations <br />We support changing the Minnesota Paid Leave <br />program to exempt unique city positions like election <br />judges and city councilors. We will provide a local <br />government perspective to the legislature as the <br />program takes effect in 2026. <br />Local Decision Making <br />We oppose legislation that erodes or eliminates local <br />decision making authority for cities to make the <br />policy and funding decisions that best serve their <br />individual communities. <br />Local Sales Taxes <br />We support a change in law to allow cities to propose <br />a local sales tax for capital project costs to its voters <br />without requiring a special law authorization. <br />Sales Tax Exemption on Construction <br />Materials <br />We support legislation to streamline the process for cities <br />to secure sales tax exemptions on construction materials. <br />5