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Home My WebLink About20070220 - VI-15Page 1 of 2 Dave Osberg From: Strub, Brian [BStrub@Imnc.org] Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2007 4:44 PM To: General legislative Cc: Finn, Anne; Reeder, Donald Subject: [legislative] LMC Action Alert: Adopt transportation funding resolution LMC Action Alert: Cities encouraged to adopt transportation funding resolution February 1, 2007 VI-15 IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED! 7. Pass a resolution supporting transportation funding (see sample attached) 2. Send a copy to the governor, legislators, and local media 3. Share a copy with LMC too Get Informed At the Capitol, some legislators are expressing a reluctance to take difficult votes on funding mechanisms such as a gas tax increase; and even the most optimistic legislative leaders acknowledge getting a bill through both the House and Senate may be the easy part. Governor Tim Pawlenty has vowed to veto any transportation measure that contains a tax increase, and no one has predicted with any certainty whether enough legislators would vote to over-ride. In cities across Minnesota, transportation maintenance and improvement costs are contributing to increasing property taxes; and a lack of state funding has delayed critical improvement projects and repairs needed for both safety and economic vitality. As time passes, the needs and the project costs increase. Take Action In the weeks since the 2007 Legislative Session began, a number of legislators have told local government advocates that comprehensive transportation funding will not become a reality this year without significant pressure from local leaders. Now is the time to act, by passing a resolution supporting transportation funding in Minnesota. Sample resolution attached and online at www.lmnc~org (Legislative Advocacy section) Sample press release attached and online at www.lmnc.org (Legislative Advocacy section) To maximize the impact of this resolution, please send copies of your adopted council resolution to the following: 1. Governor Tim Pawlenty, Office of the Governor, 130 State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155 2. Your legislators (find at www.legstate.mnus) 3. Lynn Peterson, Intergovernmental Relations Assistant, League of Minnesota Cities, 145 University Ave. W., St. Paul, MN 55103, or a-mail Ieterson@Imnc.org 4. Your local news media (see sample) Stay Involved 2/6/2007 Page 2 of 2 The League will continue to monitor transportation funding legislation and update members in the League's publications. Questions and comments can be directed to Anne Finn at afn~lmnc_._org, 651-281-1263, or 800-925-1122. Thank you for Telling Your City-Story! The League of Minnestoa Cities, originally founded in 1913 by an act of the Minnesota Legislature, today is anon-profit, membership organization dedicated to helping cities across Minnesota to better serve their citizens by building quality communities through excellence in management, governance, and public service. Services and solutions are the core functions of local government. The League serves its more than 800 members through advocacy, education and training, policy development, risk management, and other services. Additional information on the LMC mission, membership, and services can be found online at www.lmnc.org ## END ## You are currently subscribed to legislative as: unknown lmsubst tag argument: " To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-legislative-15935U@listserv.lmnc.org This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System. For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email 2/6/2007 A RESOLUTION REQUESTING COMPREHENSIVE ROAD AND TRANSIT FUNDING IN 2007 WHEREAS, all Minnesota communities benefit from a sound, efficient and adequately funded transportation system that offers diverse modes of travel; and WHEREAS, due to budget constraints, cities are increasingly deferring maintenance on the over 39,000 lane miles under municipal jurisdiction of the 277,607 total lane miles in Minnesota; and WHEREAS, local cost participation requirements for trunk highway and county projects are onerous and are contributing to strains on city budgets; and WHEREAS, existing local funding mechanisms, such as Municipal State Aid (MSA), property taxes, special assessments and bonding, have limited applications, leaving cities unable to adequately address growing transportation needs; and WHEREAS, the recently approved constitutional amendment that phases in dedication of 100 percent of the motor vehicle sales tax (MVST) for transportation purposes will address only a fraction of the transportation funding needs in Minnesota, and total MVST revenues are not meeting projections; and WHEREAS, transportation analysts in consultation with the Minnesota Department of Transportation •(MnDOT) estimate Minnesota will have to invest an additional $1.5 billion per year in transportation infrastructure for the next ten years in order to meet identified needs; and WHEREAS, transportation infrastructure maintenance and improvement costs significantly contribute to rising property taxes; and WHEREAS, lack of state funding has delayed regionally significant road construction and reconstruction projects across Minnesota; and WHEREAS, Minnesota's transportation system is failing to meet the capacity needs necessary to sustain population growth and promote economic development; and WHEREAS, congestion, inefficient transportation systems and lack of transportation choices lead to greater dependence on foreign oil, increased environmental degradation, and economic disadvantages for Minnesota's businesses and residents; and WHEREAS, many rural roads are not built to modern safety standards and are not meeting the needs of industries that depend on the ability to transport heavy loads; and WHEREAS, current funding for roads and transit systems across all government levels in Minnesota is inadequate, and this under-investment hinders Minnesota's progress as a national business, economic and civic leader. NOW, THEREFORE, BE TT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF that this Council requests that in 2007 the Minnesota Legislature pass a comprehensive transportation funding package that permanently increases dedicated funding for transportation; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF that this Council requests that in 2007 Governor Tim Pawlenty allow a comprehensive transportation funding package that permanently increases dedicated funding for transportation that is passed by the Legislature to become law; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF that this Council supports funding options including, but not limited to, the following: • An increase in the gas tax; • Indexing of the gas tax, provided there is a limit on how much the tax can be increased for inflation in a given amount of time; • Increases in vehicle registration taxes (a.k.a. license tab fees); • Trunk highway bonding, provided the Legislature implements reasonable restrictions on the amount of debt service the state will incur and provided the Legislature appropriates funding to assist with local costs related to projects funded with trunk highway bonds; • General obligation bonding for local roads and bridges, particularly for roads of regional significance and to assist with local cost participation requirements pertaining to trunk highway projects; • Sales tax exemptions for state and local transportation construction projects; and • New local funding tools, such as local option sales tax authority, expanded wheelage tax authority and/or street utility authority; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF that this Council defines a comprehensive transportation funding package as an initiative that permanently increases dedicated funding for state and local road and transit systems in Greater Minnesota and the Metropolitan Area. ADOPTED by the City Council on 2007. SAMPLE NEWS RELEASE (Customize, according to needs) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: (Your city name here) City Council adopts resolution in support of transportation funding (Date, City) At last week's meeting, the ------------- City Council, by a vote of - to --, adopted a resolution encouraging Minnesota state officials to pass a comprehensive transportation funding package in 2007. Copies of the approved resolution, which calls for "increased investments in state and local road and transit systems in Greater Minnesota and the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area," will be sent to members of the state legislature and the Governor. "Right now, cities throughout the state have very little room in their budgets for much- needed local street and road maintenance," said Mayor/Councilmember -------------. "Routine repair and upkeep work that is postponed because of funding challenges can cause wear-and-tear on vehicles, and will only be more expensive the next year, or the year after that." Along with an escalating population, Minnesota's transportation needs continue to grow at rapid rates. Transportation analysts estimate that the state needs to invest an additional $1.5 billion per year in transportation infrastructure for the next 10 years in order to meet identified needs. The League of Minnesota Cities, a membership association representing more than 830 Minnesota municipal governments, is asking other cities in the state to consider adopting similar resolutions. According to the League, transportation infrastructure preservation and improvement costs have significantly contributed to rising property taxes statewide. "Improving our roadways and investing in transit alternatives are important components of economic development for our city, and for neighboring cities in our state," Mayor/Councilmember -------- said. "We all benefit from a sound and adequately-funded transportation system."