Federal and state laws impact us at a local level. The legislative priority agenda helps guide how we engage with proposals that impact our community.
The legislative agenda:
- Clearly outlines the position and interests of the City on priority issues and matters that impact the City’s ability to operate effectively
- Promotes the City’s values, vision, mission, and strategic priorities
- Guides the City Manager and the Government & Legislative Affairs team
Impact
Federal and state laws impact our local community. They govern housing, financing, the environment, and so much more. These laws also impact the authority a local government has in certain situations. Because of this, cities often get involved in proposed laws at the state or federal level. Of course, there's limited energy cities and representatives can spend on this activity. To impact decisions, they also must act fast.
Purpose
A legislative priority agenda clearly outlines the position and interests of the city on legislative initiatives and guides the work of the City’s Government & Legislative Affairs team. In fulfilling the City values and strategic priorities, the legislative priority agenda prioritizes legislation, public policy and investments that are sustainable and equitable and specifically names those priorities. This allows city staff to act fast on the items that impact their community and the city as an organization.
Legislative Priority Agenda
The top 5 legislative priorities are as follows:
Renewable Energy
- Support for community solar legislation to allow individual actors and groups to produce solar power and feed that power into the statewide energy grid on an equal footing with the utilities
- Pursuing the removal of barriers to city production of renewable energy to feed into the statewide energy grid and allow for long term financing mechanisms for building city owned solar capacity
- Seeking funding and removing legislative barriers to electrify the steam district using renewable energy sources
Housing
- Seeking statutory authority to implement the lead dust sampling requirements of the City’s Property Maintenance Code
- Removing barriers to increasing density and promoting statewide building codes that allow for lower cost housing construction mechanisms
- Authorizing local units of government to increase transfer tax rates and earmarking those funds for housing initiatives including lower cost rental units
- Incentivize Accessory Dwelling Unit’s (ADU’s)
- Amend Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) to allow single family residential to be included in the program
Economic Development
- Eliminate ground floor retail requirement in the Neighborhood Enterprise Zone Act, PA 147 of 1992, and align notification requirements for public hearings with similar economic development incentive programs
- Encourage public investment in development programs that include increased housing to ensure all residents have safe, stable, and permanent housing
- Support for state and federal investment in economic development initiatives in urban areas on an equitable basis
- Remove state and local impediments to effective governance and to appropriate representation for boards that implement community economic development tools and incentives, and for boards that oversee significant entertainment venues within the City
State & Federal Investment Priorities
- Equitable funding for district courts statewide to alleviate City expenditures for the 61st District Court
- Establishing a Public Safety Trust Fund with proportional per capita funding
- Increasing pedestrian and bike mobility and providing safety improvements
- River restoration and revitalization project
- Lead service line replacement
- Promote investment in arts and culture placemaking
Policy and Regulatory Priorities
- Encouraging the use of context sensitive solutions, such as National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) standards, and implementation of local standards and policies for complete street design, to provide safe and equitable options for all users of the transportation network
- Advocate for an amendment to the federal law to allow for charging stations at highway rest stops to encourage electrification of vehicles
- Expand investment options to allow the City to further diversify the portfolio as market conditions change
- Amend State law to allow for a single property tax bill
Additional principles that further City values and strategic priorities include:
- Preserving local authority as stated in the Home Rule City Act, PA 279 of 1909, particularly in the areas of employment, planning, zoning, and public works projects and opposing initiatives that are unconstitutional
- Encouraging, advocating, and supporting legislation that promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion for all
- Continued collaboration on reforms and investments for the betterment of all residents
- Supporting policies that address talent and workforce development opportunities to include increased investment for attraction and retention
- Promoting policy and investments that increase accessibility of affordable broadband service for residents, as well as robust broadband infrastructure that supports business growth, attraction, and retention