Visit Melrose for live music, great food, fireworks, and a classic car cruise June 4 and 5 to support brain cancer research. Activities begin on Friday, June 4, from 6:00 to 11:00 p.m. at Sauk River Park, and reconvene on Saturday, June 5, starting at 9:00 a.m. For entrance, please bring a free will donation. For more information, click here.
Statement from CGMC on Governor Pawlenty’s additional cuts to LGA
CGMC Executive Director Tim Flaherty released the following statement to the press regarding Governor Pawlenty’s plan to cut LGA deeper than his original proposal based on the fear that FMAP funding will not be delivered to the state before the session’s adjournment:
For the governor to propose yet another cut to cities shows once again that he does not care about higher property taxes and cuts to police, fire, street maintenance and critical services.Â
This is an opportunity for state elected officials, and gubernatorial candidates Tom Emmer and Margaret Anderson Kelliher, to show rural voters where they stand. Â Will they support Governor Pawlenty’s plan that will result in higher property taxes and deeper cuts to rural communities, or will they work for a balanced solution that will protect property taxpayers, rural police and firefighters, and critical local services?
City of Austin plans for safe disposal of unused prescriptions
Update: Click here to read an excellent round-up of this issue as reported by the Pioneer Press.
This session, CGMC monitored legislation (S.F.1568/H.F. 1217) that aimed to create better mechanisms for disposing unused prescription medications. Unused pharmaceuticals are often flushed down toilets or buried in landfills and can seep into drinking water sources. Originally, this legislation would have placed the burden of safe disposal on drug manufacturers and wholesalers, but was subsequently revised to shift the responsibility to local law enforcement officers and the MPCA.
While the legislation delegates authority for drug possession and disposal, it does not provide a funding framework to mitigate the cost of doing so. As such, the City of Austin will ante up $5,000 per year to support a local drug disposal program, according the the Austin Daily Herald and KAAL-TV. Although the ideal solution to safe drug disposal and clean drinking water would involve a more significant role from the state, drug manufacturers, and drug wholesalers, we applaud the City of Austin for making the safety of its residents a top priority.
Sign up for a labor and employee relations seminar today!
Registration materials are now available for CGMC’s annual labor and employee relations seminars. Seminars will be held 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on May 27 in New Ulm and June 10 in Park Rapids. Please note: city officials who are not CGMC members are welcome to attend. Sign up for the seminar closest to you!
Click here to download seminar registration materials.
Why attend a labor and employee relations seminar? Now more than ever, cities are looking for practical legal solutions for providing services and managing employees. In light of state aid and budget reductions, this task becomes increasingly difficult. To help cities navigate through labor and employee relations issues, CGMC staff will provide information on the following topics: Read more…
Editorial board sees value in angel tax credit
The Rochester Post-Bulletin editorial board discusses the merits of recently signed legislation that includes an angel investor tax credit. CGMC has been a vocal supporter of this credit because it will spur economic activity and bring needed investment dollars to small businesses in greater Minnesota communities. Read the full editorial here.
LGA runs reflecting conference committee report now available
Over the weekend, the supplemental budget bill conference committee approved its report, which cuts LGA and MVC by $52.5 million in 2010 and $56.5 million in 2011. To view these runs, visit the LGA & Property Tax Relief page, and click on the first two links under the “LGA Runs” section. The 2010 run shows each cities’ supplemental cuts for the current year (column 4), while the 2011 run shows each cities’ projected LGA payment (column 2) and MVC cut (column 3).
The House and Senate are expected to vote on the report today. According to the governor’s spokesman, “As long as there are no unforeseen problems, the governor plans to sign the [supplemental budget] bill.”
CGMC Summer Conference, August 18-20
Save the date for CGMC’s 2010 summer conference, which will be held August 18-20 (please note that this is a revised date). This year’s conference will be held in scenic Winona. Please make every effort to join us for this important time to discuss state policy and how it may impact decision-making at the local level. Registration materials for CGMC members and vendors can be found below:
Governor line-item vetoes $319 million, BDPI funding survives
Earlier today, the governor issued his line-item vetoes of the state’s bonding bill. $319 million in projects—mostly those deemed to have questionable statewide impact—were eliminated from the bill. The governor’s letter to legislative leaders detailing these reductions can be found here.
Funding for the Business Development Public Infrastructure (BDPI) grant survived the governor’s veto pen. The allocation amounts to $8.5 million, excluding earmarks, which is one of the highest amounts ever achieved for this grant since the its inception in 2003. While we are disappointed in the earmarks, we are pleased that the bill still received over $8.5 million in a difficult bonding year. This grant will help dozens of cities secure or attract jobs in their communities.
2010 Labor & Employee Relations Seminar
The Labor Committee will be sponsoring two seminars again this year from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. as follows: Thursday, May 27, 2010 in New Ulm and Thursday, June 10, 2010 in the Park Rapids lakes area. Registration materials are available here.
The seminar topics include the following:
- Using non-regular employees to your advantage
- Effective performance evaluations
- Contracting local government services: Legal and union hurdles
- Personnel data practices and records retention
- Interactive panel of experts: Legislative update and handling employees and unions in tough times
Sign up today, as space is limited!
