2007-03-23 Friday NewsPILOT KNOB II
This Tuesday evening the City Council held a Public Hearing that is required for the City to
apply for a MnDNR grant for acquisition of the 15 acre Acacia Cemetery parcel. It is proposed
that, if this site is acquired, it will be added to the 8.5 acre site that was previously acquired from
John Allen. The City has already committed $400,000 to the project, Dakota County FNAP has
committed another $400,000 and Trust for Public Land has committed $100,000. If we are
successful in acquiring the MnDNR Grants, there should be sufficient funding to acquire the
property.
MAC will be performing some maintenance and repairs on runway 12R this summer during the
months of August through October. Because of this, 12R will be shut down and traffic on
Runway 12L (over Mendota Heights) will have to be dramatically increased. The City Council
discussed this concern at their February 201h meeting and authorized the Mayor to send a letter to
the FAA asking if planes coming off Runway 12L could be fanned south to help lessen the
impact to Mendota Heights residents. I was contacted by phone this week by Mr. Carl Rydeen,
FAA's tower supervisor at MSP. He informed Erle that he had received our letter and was
working on a response. He also told me that he was asking that the issue be put on the upcoming
Noise Oversight Committee's April 11th meeting agenda. He hopes that they will be able to have
an answer by that meeting and be able to talk about the impact of the Runway shutdown on all
communities.
PANDEMIC FLU PLANNING
Chief Aschenbrener attended a meeting with Emergency Management Directors from West St.
Paul, Inver Grove Heights and South St. Paul. Our cities are working together under a grant
from Dakota County to develop a plan to address the Pandemic Flu threat. Planning efforts will
include city -specific plans for operating with reduced staff, employee/community training and a
table -top exercise. Planning activities will be ramping up this spring.
REFERENDUM COMMUNITY GROUPS UPDATE
Groups in support of and opposing the referendum are both busy working their causes. Save Par
3 held a meeting at City Hall on Monday, which approximately 20 citizens attended. Their next
meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 9 at City Hall. Vote No Par 3 has a meeting scheduled
for Thursday, April 5, also held at City Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
James Danielson
City Administrator
Attachments: Just the Facts, Pipeline, Star Tribune Article "Plane -noise -suit arguments end" and
Friday Fax.
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03/23/2007
2"d Degree DUI 03-17-07 0704 hours (yes 7:00 a.m.)
Officer Shepard spotted a car weaving and driving on the E/B shoulder
of Hwy 110. After the car signaled a left turn and pulled in the right
lane to stop for a red light, the car was pulled over. The driver smelled
heavily of alcohol. He failed all SFST's - barely able to stand - the PBT
revealed a BAC of .25. He was arrested, his car was impounded and
he was brought to MHPD. After being read the MN Implied Consent he
provided a breath sample showing a BAC of.27. The suspect was
transported to the DC jail and formal charges were filed.
Burglary 03-17-07 0915 hours
Officer Bobby Lambert and Sgt. Donn Anderson responded to a local
condominium complex where multiple vehicles were broken into while
parked in the underground garage. The victims reported a variety of
property stolen and damage. Surveillance video showed three
suspects using a pry bar to enter the garage area. Under investigation.
Domestic Assault 03-17-07 2234 hours
Officer Chad Willson responded to a 911 cell call of a domestic from
which the suspect had driven off. After locating the victim he learned
that both the victim and suspect had been out for the evening. While
driving home the suspect began calling the victim names. She
attempted to call 911 on her cell phone and the suspect began to
punch her. A short time later the suspect pulled over, kicked the victim
out of the car and drove off. A detailed statement was taken and the
victim's injuries were documented. Officers made several attempts to
arrest the suspect without success. Charges pending.
Theft from Vehicle 03-17-07 1722 hours
Victim reported to Sergeant Garlock that she had parked at the
trailhead in Lilydale. After returning from her walk she noticed the
window was smashed out of her car. Her purse was taken. The victim
was advised to notify the bank and all the credit card companies. The
next day the victim received a call from the MTC that her purse was
recovered on a bus minus her cash and credit cards.
Crash / Medical 03-13-07 0017 hours
Homeowner called to report that a car had crashed into the back of
their home. Officer Tanner Spicer was flagged down and directed to an
elderly lady sitting next to the deck in the back yard. She was very
difficult to understand and was having difficulty seeing. She was turned
over to Healtheast ambulance and transported to the hospital. In
looking over the situation she had driven between a couple of houses
and cut through several back yards before becoming stuck. After
multiple attempts to turn around she backed into the victim's home.
=10
03/23/2007
The car then came to rest against a large tree. Southeast Towing removed the car.
Minor Consumption of Alcohol 03-18-07 0244 hours
A cell phone caller reported a man trying to hide in the ditch along Hwy 55. After changing
his mind several times about where the man actually was the caller did manage to direct
officers to the suspect. Officer Willson and Spicer immediately determined the young
suspect was intoxicated (.108 BAC). In talking with the 17 YOA it was learned his friends
were driving him home from a party in St. Paul and kicked him out of the car because he was
causing problems. The young man reported he was upset because someone stole his I -pod.
Transported to MHPD and released to his mother along with a juvenile court date.
Burglary 03-18-07 0614 hours
Officer Tanner Spicer responded to a fire alarm at condominium complex. Upon, arrival he
determined rather quickly that the alarm was not a fire alarm but in fact it was a burglar
alarm. Fire was cancelled and the initial investigation revealed that the TV was missing from
the day room. Officer Spicer could not locate anyone who had observed the activities but,
He did find several people who had taken the time to locate a non -emergency phone number
for the police department. The scene was processed for fingerprints and photographed.
Investigator Reyes has been unable to get any information from the property management
company as they manage 800 properties and have no idea what articles were missing.
Found Property 03-19-07 1610 hours
It is not unusual for officers to receive a call of found property. However, Officer Petersen
was quite surprised when a local gas station called to report finding a loaded Smith and
Wesson .357 revolver. The gun was placed into property and traced back to the owner - an
employee of an armored truck company. He has not yet returned to claim his gun.
Damage to Property 03-20-07 0901 hours
A local business owner reported to Officer Eric Petersen that someone had spray painted "I
love Alex D" on the side of their business. A reward has been offered through the Mendota
Heights Community Criminal Apprehension Fund to help solve this case. Investigator Scott
Patrick has posted reward posters in the area of the spray painting.
Medical 03-20-07 1300 hours
Officer Eric Petersen responded to a local residence to assist the callers who were very
concerned about an adult daughter who was living with them. The daughter stayed in the
bathroom for the past three weeks, only sneaking out at night. They believe that she has not
left the house since last October. Over the past couple of weeks they have consulted with
several mental health providers and today became concerned after an emotional outburst. A
72 hour hold was signed and the young lady was transported by Healtheast Ambulance to
Regions for evaluation.
Expired License Tabs 03-20-07 2154 hours
An in -squad computer check revealed the car directly in front of Officer Urmann had expired
registration and was displaying current registration. After stopping the car the driver
explained the tabs belonged to a family member and were mailed to them from out state. It
apparently was easier to use the wrong tabs on the plate than to correct the problem. The
plates were removed, the car was towed and a citation was issued for expired license plates.
Harassment 03-21-07 1730 hours
Officer Denise Urmann responded to a local residence about an on going neighbor
harassment problem. Upon arrival, Officer Urmann learned it was a continuation of a
property access dispute over a shared driveway. The "victim" had messages left on his
voicemail over the course of the winter about the driveway and was now concerned. The
victim was advised the problem was civil and to get a restraining order. The voice mails
were placed into evidence. The both parties were advised again on how to handle the
problem. ff4aoayVWt~ZWd 14%
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LETTER POipe inn
Public Works
Engineering March 23, 2007
Code Enforcement
Public Works
The Parks crew attended the Sherwin Williams seminar at the Minneapolis
convention center. Summer equipment was brought down from storage at the
water tower and winter equipment was stored for the summer. Trash was
collected from parks and sweeping has started on the pedways.
The Streets crew continued patching potholes. Debris was removed from Ivy Falls
Creek between Dodd Rd and Laura Ct. Made brackets and put up temporary cross
walk signs on Mendota Heights Rd near St. Thomas academy. Removed tree on
Pilot Knob Rd and Mendota Heights Rd.
Rich checked sanitary sewer lift stations daily. Rich and George cut roots in the
sewer main using the jet truck on Callahan PI, Hingham Cir, Chippewa Ave,
Annapolis St and Highway 13 (Fremont Ave to Garden St and Brompton PI to
Sylvandale Rd).
Guy and Sue met with Curt Chatfield from Dakota County regarding the 30 -year
county park vision. Draft maps of the areas discussed will be sent to the city in
the near future.
Bids for the city wide street sweeping were received and prices increased by one
dollar an hour. Sweeping should commence within the next couple of weeks.
Tom has been able to begin a more detailed inspection of the Copperfield project
area now that most of the snow and ice has melted.
THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2007 - STAR TRIBUNE _ TWIN CI`iIES m II3
mentsend
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The judge urged the plaintiffs — Minneapolis, Richfield
and Eagan — to negotiate a deal with the Metropolitan
,�iroorts Commission over sound insulation of homes.
ROCHELLE OLSON
Arguments in three cities'
airport noise lawsuit against the
Metropolitan Airports Commis-
sion (MAC) ended Wednesday
with an urging from Hennepin
County District Judge Stephen
Aldrich for a negotiated settle-
ment rather than a ruling from
him.
.. The judge sharply questioned
lawyers during more than three
hours of final arguments on a
sometimes mind -twisting ar-
ray of topics from the science of
measuring noise to whether the
flew Airbus A380 airliner can
land at Minneapolis -St. Paul In-
ternational Airport.
Although the five-day tri -
all ended a month ago, Aldrich
took additional written argu-
ments from the parties. Minne-
apolis, Richfield and Eagan filed
the suit in 2005 against the MAC,
which runs the airport. North-
west Airlines intervened on be-
half of the commission.
Before the trial, Aldrich de-
cided that the MAC broke a
commitment to provide full
soundproofing to thousands of
homes in violation of its own
noise -abatement standards. He
has yet to determine what the
remedy should be for breaking
the commitment, but it is likely
to cost millions.
The trial focused on a second
contention by the cities: that the
MAC violated the Minnesota
Environmental Rights Act by
disrupting the natural resource
of "quietude.
Aldrich gave no indication
of when he would rule, but he
SourceMetropolitanAirports Commission StarTnbune
strongly noted in his closing so-
liloquy that he would prefer to
be taken out of the equation. "It
is the silliest thing in the world,
inmy judgment, to ask a judge to
manage an airport," he said, add-
ing
dding that a worse scenario would
be for the Legislature to insert it-
self - another possibility
"There's nothing good about
being here except for the fact
you have a bunch of disappoint-
ed people who may have a rem-
edy," Aldrich said.
He suggested that the sides
settle the case without him,
which they have been unable
to do so far. "Who's that guy
who settled Northern Ireland?"
Aldrich asked, referring to for-
mer Sen. George Mitchell, D -
Maine. "We may need someone
of that skill:'
In his hourlong final argu-
ment, John Putnam, a Denver
lawyer hired by Minneapolis,
said a violation of the Environ-
mental Rights Act is "any con-
duct which materially adverse -
where average noise is between
60 and 64 decibels. More than
7,800 homes subject to noise of
65 decibels and higher have al-
ready been fiilly insulated by
the MAC.
Full soundproofing costs
about $45,000 per home and in-
cludes wall insulation, new win-
dows and doors, roofbaffies, fur-
naces, ductwork and air-condi-
ly" affects quietude. He said "se-
vere and recurrent aircraft noise
events" fill the requirement.
MAC lawyer Thaddeus
Lightfoot argued there is no
claim under the act, because
the level of airport noise has de-
clined in recent years..
Aldrich said, "So as long as
they're tinkering on the edges
of improving things, [the act]
doesn't help us get a cleaner en-
vironment?"
nvironment?"
Lightfoot said he was cor-
rect.
Aldrich also asked Lightfoot
about the "noise footprint" of
the A380, which made its first
landings in North America this
week After the court session,
MAC Deputy Executive Direc-
tor Nigel Finney said the run-
ways at Minneapolis -St Paul are
long enough to bring in an A380.
It has a wingspan longer than a
football field and can seat 555.
. the suit affects 412 homes in
Eagan, 845 in Richfield and 4,291
in Minneapolis, all in a zone
tioning, all designed to muffle
jet noise for those living under
flight paths.
The suit is separate. from a
parallel class-action suit filed by
homeowners against the MAC.
Minneapolis alone has spent
more than $1 million on the
case.
Rochelle Olson • 612-673-1747
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['ufib%',•�•�4ry�Kji� A weekly legislative update from the League of Minnesota Cities
March 16, 2007
Page 1
Transportation committees craft partisan lines, the language that will become S.F.
omnibus funding bills 1986 will be referred upon Monday's
introduction to the Ser.uxte Finance
The Senate' °:1"ra�„„„,x1m or tiora I:111d z ak and Pol:ic.
Division and the House':1'z"artsl�c�q_�.11iorl :l,11141:lrlce
..................._._....._...................-.......... _._...._._....
DIvisiori were busy this week assembling
omnibus funding recommendations.
The :f.:lu.w•l:�'et' a:i.t�f
Dvis:' ori considered two funding bills on
Thursday afternoon. SF 11985 (Mint; DFL -
Red Wing), which the bill's author called a
"fiscally constrained" bill, would make
minimal investments in the next biennium and
would not allow for new road and transit
investments.
The second, SF 1 x)86, also carried by Murphy,
includes a ten cent increase in the gas tax,
indexing of the gas tax, county authority to
impose up to a $20 wheelage tax per vehicle,
county authority to impose a local
transportation sales tax of 0.5 percent, $1
billion in trunk highway bonds and a number of
additional smaller provisions_ It was
immediately criticized by republicans for being
too large and for challenging the governor to
follow through on his threat to veto any bill
containing a gas tax increase.
Although the bills were essentially written by
the and Pohcv
I:?:i:vis ion, they will be officially introduced on
Monday of next week. The first bill is said to
be a place -holder in the event the governor
does veto the comprehensive package and the
legislature is unsuccessful in overriding a veto_
The measure will not likely be scheduled for
further hearings in the near future but may be
used as a substitute for a dead SF .1986 or as a
vehicle for a more moderate proposal. Having
passed on a roll call vote of 11 to 7 along
The House
assembled its omnibus bill, w111',` 9,.l€i
DFL -Crookston) this morning. The bill, which
was discussed in the form of a delete -all
amendment, passed on a bipartisan roll call
vote of 15 to 3. Like the Senate's bill, the
measure contains a ten cent gas tax increase,
county wheelage tax authority, county sales tax
authority and $1 billion in trunk highway
bonds. The bill was referred to the :1-h-. l;ise
'nano (.brj r1►_i. ��;e, where it will be heard
early next week.
Leaders on both the House and Senate have
indicated they would like the transportation
bills to move quickly through the remainder of
the committee process and be ready for final
passage by both bodies within days. Early
passage of a bill would allow time during the
final weeks of session for alternative proposals
should the bill die on the governor's desk.
Questions.? Contact Anne Finn at 0.51.281,126
or r°� "zr�ra;'�:�'.lr�-z�'a�:.aar•4Y.
Domestic partner benefits
Several bills have been introduced in recent
weeks that either allow or mandate cities to
offer domestic partner benefits to their
employees. The League currently has no
policy on domestic partner benefits so the
Board of Directors was asked to provide
guidance at its March meeting.
Two of the bills Q1.4,'960 and 1-I:1 :ld:l$;3'r) allow
cities, at their discretion, to expand the
definition of "dependent" for purposes of
For more information on city legislative issues, contact any member of the League of Minnesota Cities Intergovernmental Relations team.
651.281.1200 or 800.925.1122
Mar L: 2007 10:34:40 Vid Fax _> 6514520940 Administrator Page of 007
Lmc
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E ,rr•�.,:...,,,,„ �„w, „f„;„ A weekly legislative update from the League ofMinnesota Cities
March 16, 2007
Page 2
employee group insurance beyond the current Homestead Credit (MVHC). The House budget
statutory definition of spouse and children. targets include roughly $50 million into LGA.
These two bills do not mandate that cities offer
these benefits. The Senate Sill also reinstates the pre -2003
On Thursday, the League's Board of Directors
approved a motion that will support these two
bills based on local control – i.e., the fact that
the decision on whether the offer the benefits is
at the control of local elected and appointed
officials.
Several other bills A:l� 1125 & 1 -IF 21 S1 ; a
1324 & 1 -IF 1::1:'x4 do mandate the expansion of
employee benefits – specifically sick leave
benefits. Current law requires Minnesota
employers to allow employees to use sick leave
to care for their children; most of these
proposed bills expand that requirement to
siblings, spouses, parents, grandparents and
domestic partners. The League will be
opposing this legislation based on our
longstanding policy opposing unfunded
mandates.
Questions? Contact Laura Kushner at
651.2$1.1203 or lkushner@lmnc.org.
Tax bills taking shape
Friday morning's legislative schedule included
the unveiling of the Senate aar�a,.,.tom;
1.2inri5,,Jo.rl's property tax and state aid articles
that will form the backbone of the 2007 Senate
omnibus tax bill. The House Ways and Means
Committee also released their preliminary
spending targets which provide a glimpse of the
House direction on property tax relief.
The Senate is proposing a $150 million
increase in LGA funding and a $42 million
increase in funding for the Market Value
grandfathered LGA aid base. Chairman Skoe
(DFL -Clearbrook) indicated to the committee
that he believes there are serious problems with
the current LGA formula and that the proposals
offered by the North Metro Mayors/Association
of Metropolitan Municipalities, the Coalition of
Greater Minnesota Cities, the Minnesota
Association of Small Cities and the volatility
fix offered by the League are further indication
that the program needs significant work. He
suggested that within the time constraints of the
committee, a comprehensive solution could not
be identified this year. As a result, the Senate
bill includes a legislative study of the LGA
formula that would take place during the
upcoming interim.
Along with the extra MVHC funding, tl-ie bill
also contains an increase of $9 million in
funding for agricultural property credits, $24
million for property tax refund (PTR), $60
million for county aids, $15 million for
townships, and $75 million for schools.
These two articles were amended to SF 1, the
Senate's earlier property tax relief proposal.
The Senate bill includes one major revenue
enhancement—a modification to the statewide
property tax that will generate an estimated
$222 million during the upcoming biennium.
However, the bill currently does not raise
sufficient revenue to cover the property tax
relief obligations, including LGA and MVHC.
The full tax committee is expected to include
additional revenue -raising provisions when the
other sales and income tax articles are unveiled
next week.
For more information on city legislative issues, contact any member of the League of Minnesota Cities Intergovernmental Relations team.
651.281.1200 or 800.925.1122
I �■ UKAfflZr' it r
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A weekly legislative update from the League of Minnesota Cities
In the House Pro e.t - T'a.�-_,..... x..x.�1��;e_ Friday
morning, several LGA bills were up that had
not yet been heard this session. Numerous city
officials were on hand to testify on the ten
proposals. This meeting actually occurred
before the mid-morning press conference
announcing an intended $55 million for LGA.
Chairman lvlai.a_1g.ea.r_t_'s: (DFL -Dilworth)
committee will roll out their property tax
article/division report next Friday, March 23r�.
For a full story of this morning's hearing, see
next week's Cities Bulletin.
Questions? Contact Jennifer O'Rourke at
651.281.1261 orjorourk-e@lmnc.org.
lmnc.org.
Will the grocer's wine bill get bagged?
Tuesday evening, :1II1` was heard in the
House (..'b:rnmer(-.e and Labor Cort:tarritt:ee, but
no votes were taken on this longstanding,
controversial issue. The committee ultimately
laid the bill over for possible inclusion in an
omnibus liquor bill. Testifying in opposition
and on behalf of city interests were Woodbury
Police Chief Bill Hering, and Bemidji's Liquor
Store manager, Dan Bahr. The police chief
highlighted concerns that the legislation would
increase youth access to alcohol by providing
the committee with statistics about how
Woodbury's police department had worked
with their retail establishments to substantially
reduce youth access to alcohol. Bemidji's Dan
Bar explained how municipal store profits
benefited their community, and how this
proposal would harm those revenues.
Proponents of the legislation concentrated their
testimony on customer convenience, and how
current liquor statutes were unfair given the
big -box retail competition grocery stores face.
The examples they used were how Super
March 16, 2007
Page 3
Target and Home Depots that have aisle for
food items.
Chairman ...o.. _,A;1 _ ;zls (DFL -Inver Grove
Heights) acknowledged that committee
members had been lobbied plenty on the
subject, and urged the public should be directed
to his office.
The Senate companion has not been scheduled
for a hearing, although will likely have a
hearing to hear other liquor bills and this could
still come up.
Questions? Contact Jennifer O'Rourke at
651.281.1261
For people who spend time at the State Capitol,
March Madness isn't just about basketball.
Between Monday and Friday of this week,
House and Senate committees have heard
hundreds of bills, and the League has tracked
dozens of them. Below are updates on just
some of the bills moving through the process
that may be of interest to city officials.
• Geothermal energy (; 3 . 1 ;38/SF 904 and
F-1.1" 10::14/S'538): The League supported
legislation creating revolving loan fund for
municipalities for installation of geothermal
heating/cooling systems and successfully
amended a bill requiring that geothermal
heating and cooling be given preference in
the design of all state financed buildings to
simply say that any building required under
168.335 to do pre -design must consider
geothermal and other renewable energy
options.
For more information on city legislative issues, contact any member of the League of Minnesota Cities Intergovernmental Relations team.
651.281.1200 or 800.925.1122
lar 16 ZOO? 10:36-05 Via Fax _> GS14SZO940 fidministrator
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A weekly legislative update from the League of Minnesota Cities
• Funding for the removal of diseased
shade trees (I-II' 654/SF 1.'J: LMC
supported funding for cities to handle
removal and processing of diseased shade
trees. Mayor Katie Himanga of Lake City
provided testimony.
• Wetlands (jIF 1.:4.3: LMC successfully
negotiated amendments to address
correction of problematic changes to 15.99
and removal of new citizen
enforcement/lawsuit authorities. Senate
bills have not yet passed through the
environment policy committee.
Individual Sewage Treatment Systems
(ISTS) (11F :1420/SF 114-6): LMC worked
out a compromise in a bill to remove
requirements of the use of an engineer to
design and install ISTS's with less than
10,000 gallons per day of flow capacity.
Interim ordinance limitations (1::�.1�°
&, 4/S 10.8.8): LMC and other local
government organizations worked with
builders to address their concerns with
interim ordinances. The bill was supported
by the Builders Association of the Twin
Cities and proposed to block cities from
using interim ordinances-, but all parties
agreed in advance that if a compromise
could not be reached that issue, it would not
move forward this year. While progress was
made in finding common ground and
crafting language to limit the bills
applicability to platted residential
subdivision projects, the details proved to
be more complex than could be easily
worked out. The bill was set aside for this
year.
Best -value construction contracting (:.11'-
571/51 :1278x): The League provided
testimony in several hearings supporting
making statutory clarification of municipal
authority to use a best -value bidder process
iii. 1 i 9!
March 16, 2007
Page 4
as an alternative to lowest responsible
bidder. This issue is not likely to be
resolved this session, but stakeholder
meeting are now underway with the major
construction firms and trade groups to
discuss what would be necessary for this
concept to move forward in the future.
LMC has also pointed out that this tool
could be useful for some other types of
non -construction contracting.
Water infrastructure funding (I-II:
'190/1.11;,' 1186): ate): LMC supported legislation
from the Public Facilities Authority that
awards bonus priority points for stormwater
projects that benefit impaired waters and
bases prioritization of proposals in all
infrastructure programs on the state Project
Priority List.
Clean Water Legacy Act (CWLA)
funding: LMC testified at hearing
regarding the Governor's budget
recommendations in support of over $40
million per year of general fund money and
over $40 million per year of bonding
money to adequately address the funding
needs of the state's Clean Water Legacy
program. The Governor recommended $20
million per year of general fund support in
his budget.
• Labor communications .1-:IIi 61:I/S:f.° 531
The League worked out agreement with
AFSCME to accept LMC proposed
language changes to their bill to limit
protected communication to union activities
and business or legal labor organizing as
defined in state and federal laws. Also
clarifies that employers may have
reasonable rules regarding that union
communication (quantity, content,
attachments, non -work time only, etc.) and
may enforce those rules. If the workplace
has a collective bargaining agent, those
For more information on city legislative issues, contact any member of the League of Minnesota Cities Intergovernmental Relations team.
651.281.1200 or 800.925.1122
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„�.,,t,,,. A weekly legislative update from the League gfMinnesota Cities
March 16, 2007
Page 5
rules are to be worked out between the action on the Senate Consent Calendar and
employer and the bargaining agent. We also
agreed to remove all of the new remedy
language in the original bill, leaving only
the ability for employees to use an existing
grievance procedure and to only be eligible
for lost work pay in damages.
• Annexation (III, 1576: This bill will be
heard on Monday in the House Local
Government and Metropolitan Affairs
committee. It will include technical changes
to last year's annexation bill, including
continuing task force for an additional year
and making permanent the increase of the
annexation by ordinance acreage limit from
60 to 120 acres.
• Phosphorus standards (1:.1:1 :l `�20 will be
heard on Monday in the House
Environment and Natural Resources policy
committee. It will be amended to simply
extend the prohibition on the MPCA
adopting rules on phosphorus effluent limits
for municipal wastewater treatment
facilities until July 1, 2008.
• Amusement ride safety :Lff'
1'L 0)
- This bill would implement the
League's policy seeking oversight of
amusement ride safety. It was scheduled for
a hearing in the Senate State and Local
Government Operations and Oversight
Committee this week, but the committee
ran out of time to take it up. The League
has submitted a letter of support and is
prepared to testify when the bill is
rescheduled.
• Wellness and employee recognition (:1-,1:1°
905/;9.1 131:1.): This bill would explicitly
allow cities to offer wellness and employee
recognition activities for employees. It has
House General Orders.
Light pollutionjE.1 -G:a : The League
successfully advocated to remove
provisions that would have required cutoff
luminaire lighting when existing public
lighting is replaced. The bill as amended
requires the state to develop a model
ordinance that can be voluntarily adopted
by cities.
® Automatic external defibrillators
(AED's) in patrol vehicles (:1:1::1 662/Sl,'
968 and I -IF 687/S1-,334): The League has
successfully advocated against legislation
that would require local police departments
to equip patrol vehicles with AED's and for
legislation that would provide grants to
departments that want to voluntarily
purchase the devices.
® Levy limits on transportation projects
I:I 18.16): This bill would have prohibited
local units of government from increasing
expenditures on road construction. The
League provided testimony in the House
Property Tax Division against the bill, but
also stated that the bill underscores the fact
that transportation spending contributes to
the property tax burden, particularly when
the spending is a result of cost participation
in trunk highway projects or for municipal
state aid streets that are not fully funded.
• Administrative fines (11 -IF 5•'1'1/51.008 and
��Il� 656/S:1�15 5): The League has worked
successfully in the House to advance a
proposal that would allow cities to issue
their own traffic tickets for low level
moving violations and to table a bill that
would prohibit the practice. Neither
measure has been scheduled for a hearing in
passed through committees in both the the Senate.
House and Senate and is awaiting final • PhotoCop (I-II .1.d:158/sl 10'1:1: This bill
would allow cities to implement a program
For mare information on city legislative issues, contact any member of the League of Minnesota Cities Intergovernmental Relations team.
651.281.1200 or 800.925.1122
`It16 2007 10:37:3S Via Fax _> 6S14SZ8940 Administrator PagE 006 of 007
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A weekly legislative update from the League ofMinnesota Cities
March 16, 2007
Page 6
to allow police officers to issue a citation to introduction of a bill that gives cities
a motor vehicle owner or lessee for
violations detected with the use of an
automated traffic enforcement system. With
the League's support, the bill has passed
through the in initial hearings in both
bodies. It faces a number of hurdles
because it will need to make additional
stops in many more committees in order to
reach the House and Senate floors.
® Other Post Employment Benefits
OPER trusts .IIF 1160/SI` m,3' : These
League -initiated bills would allow local
units of government to establish trusts and
invest funds to cover obligations such as
retiree health care. The House bill was
approved by the Local Government
Committee and will next be considered by
the K-12 Education Finance Committee.
The Senate bill was laid over by the Tax
Committee until March 20 to allow
members more time to consider the bill.
® Flu pandemic open meeting law (:�.:: F
I : 03/SF 1165): These League -initiated bills
would allow local units of government to
conduct public meetings with members in
attendance via teleconference in the event
of a flu pandemic or declared emergency.
The Senate bill was approved by the State
and Local Government Committee and sent
to the floor. The House bill will be heard
next week.
LGA volatility fix (I-:1:1, :1 '.1.'.1�:1:� L2 5 D :
These League -initiated bills contain the
LGA volatility fix that would reduce major
annual fluctuations in individual city LGA
distributions. The bills were considered this
week in the Senate and House Tax
Committees and laid over for possible
inclusion in the omnibus tax bills.
Nonpartisan election judge appointments
The League requested
authority to appoint election judges not
affiliated with any major political party
while maintaining political party balance
among remaining election judges. Both
bills are on the floor awaiting final action.
There was no opposition to the legislation
during committee hearings.
Statewide cable franchising:
Representative Sheldon Johnson (DFL -St.
Paul), Chair of the House
Telecommunications Regulation &
Infrastructure Division, held a hearing
today on an unofficial proposal drafted by
Qwest calling for statewide franchising for
competitive cable franchising, an end to
local authority to require competitors to
comply with local build -out requirements,
and steep reductions to funding available to
cover the costs to produce and make
available local public, educational and
government (PEG) programming. The
League and cable franchise administrators
(MACTA) presented testimony challenging
the need for and adverse outcomes of the
proposal. An official bill will be introduced
next week by Rep. Johnson, and will be
officially heard in the same division next
Friday morning, March 23. Look for an
Action Alert on this issue next week.
Absentee voting ( -1F 768/SF 208 : This
bill expands access and eligibility to vote
by absentee ballot. Both the House and
Senate bills have met policy deadlines and
are being included in omnibus state
government funding legislation.
Election administration (lIF .1.:1.'10/,`, 1'
_1.29,80: This bill includes new language
clarifying and making uniform a 100 -foot
limit from the building in which polling
places are located for both lingering and
political campaign activities on Election
For more information on city legislative issues, contact any member of the League of Minnesota Cities Intergovernmental Relations team.
651.281.1200 or 800.925.1122
lar IG Z007 10:3021 Via Fax _> 6514SZO940 Rdministratur
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A weekly legislative update from the League of Minnesota Cities
Day. The bill is through both policy
committees in the Senate and has passed the
Government Operations Committee in the
House.
• Construction codes II.I' :t 'C18/SI 998 :
The House and Senate versions of this
initiative are two very different bills at this
point. What was supposed to be a state
department bill to carry out the Governor's
2006 Executive Order consolidating the
code development, education and
enforcement process within the Minnesota
Department of Labor & Industry (DLI) has
been drastically altered by the House author
(Mahoney -Dist. 67A) to create a process
dominated by six trade disciplines
(plumbing, electric, pressure piping,
mechanical, building/structural, and energy)
rather than maintaining the current process
and direction for code development that
local building officials favor and rely on to
assure and protect public safety and
welfare. The League and the Association
of Minnesota Building Officials oppose:F:�:#��
12£.18 in its current form, which differs
radically from its original form as
introduced, and support the companion
measure in the Senate, Sl -,998, which
remains in the form to which cities and
local building officials agreed after
reaching consensus on the contents of the
legislation prior to session.
The Governor is corning to the LMC
Legislative Conference!
You have only one more week to register for
the LMC Legislative Conference, March 28-29,
2007,
Join Governor Tim Pawlenty and nearly 1,000
city, county, and school officials for the first -
March 16, 2007
Page 7
ever joint local government legislative
conference. (The Governor is the lunch keynote
speaker on March 29.)
Renewing the Partnership—Legislative
Conference for Cities, Counties, and Schools
is a historic coming -together and the only
League of Minnesota Cities Legislative
Conference in 2007.
Date: March 28-29, 2007
Location: St. Paul, Crowne Plaza (formerly the
Radisson Riverfront)
Registration Fee: 5125 person
Register by March 23 at: www-lmnc.org
Questions? Contact Cathy Dovidio at (651)
281-1250 or (800) 925-1122, or e-mail
cdovidio@lrnnc.org.
Town hall meetings
Town hall meetings are a great chance to meet
with your legislators and tell your city story
close to home. Upcoming meetings in a city
near you include:
Mar. 17 in Eden Prairie (Eden Prairie Library,
565 Prairie Center Drive, 10:30-11:30 a.m.)
with Rep. Maria Ruud
Mar. 17 in Shoreview (City Hall, 11:00 a.m.)
with Rep. Paul Gardner
Check your local newspaper or radio station for
additional dates. To receive e-mail notice of upcoming
town hall meetings near you, subscribe online at
lttt::t: "r �titn°.:t��rE;�st:.le.:r.tate.mn.us.mai:lhsVula HnAnAi,t.as.)
and
:_-fi"L;iV1rJ7S .S.'te.....Cr.u5%Ctult&'tSr-,h�0p1S.ey.0,;
- ..............
Far more information on city legislative issues, contact any member of the League of Minnesota Cities Intergovernmental Relations team.
651.281.1200 or 800.925.1122
03/18/2007 Sun 01:20
W
James Danielson
Mendota Heights City Hall
1101 Victoria Cury
Mendota Heights, MN 55118
Dear James Danielson,
The Heritage Registry of
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