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corporations. Local governments should <br />have the flexibility to work with outside <br />organizations if local leaders believe it is in <br />the best interest of their communities to do <br />so. Such appropriations are subject to the <br />same budgetary oversight as other <br />government expenditures, and local elected <br />officials are ultimately responsible to the <br />voters for how local tax dollars are spent. <br />Response: The Legislature should amend <br />Minn. Stat. § 469.191 to eliminate or <br />increase the cap on appropriations to <br />incorporated development societies or <br />organizations. <br />LE-22. Workforce Readiness <br />Issue: With the changing economy, and the <br />baby boomer generation set to retire soon, <br />cities have an interest in expanding the <br />availability of qualified workers as part of <br />their economic development efforts, and can <br />serve as a catalyst with other public entities <br />and the private sector to address workforce <br />readiness issues. <br />It is critical for the future of our economy to <br />prepare for new demographic trends. While <br />population rates among communities of <br />color are projected to increase, the <br />unemployment rate for communities of color <br />exceed the unemployment rate for white <br />Minnesotans. For example, data from the <br />Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicate <br />that black unemployment rates are <br />consistently two to three times higher than <br />the unemployment rates of white <br />Minnesotans. In addition, while early work <br />experience is a leading predictor of future <br />success in a workplace, recent statistics from <br />BLS show that the youth unemployment rate <br />for 16-19 year olds is three times that of the <br />unemployment rate for the state as a whole. <br />Incumbent worker training and education <br />must be an important component of <br />Minnesota's efforts to improve workforce <br />readiness. By making firms and employees <br />more competitive, incumbent worker <br />training can increase wages, increase <br />employment opportunities, fill skilled <br />worker gaps, and keep jobs and employers <br />in their communities. The Minnesota Job <br />Skills Partnership is one proven tool that <br />provides training to thousands of incumbent <br />workers each year. <br />Response: The Legislature should: <br />a) Fully fund the Minnesota Job Skills <br />Partnership and other workforce <br />training programs administered by <br />the Department of Employment and <br />Economic Development, the <br />Department of Human Services, and <br />the various education agencies; <br />b) Provide additional flexible funding to <br />local workforce councils, including <br />governments and educational <br />facilities, for the purpose of upgrading <br />the skills and productivity of the <br />workforce, and pursue additional <br />creative programming and funding to <br />prepare and place underemployed <br />and unemployed Minnesotans, as well <br />as address the issue of those phasing <br />out of the workplace and retiring; <br />c) Provide additional funding for <br />programs specifically designed to <br />address youth employment and <br />workforce readiness, and employment <br />disparities; and <br />d) Continue to support cities that <br />provide workforce programs that are <br />coordinated with and complement <br />state and regional efforts by seeking <br />municipal approval before making <br />any changes to those service areas. <br />League of Minnesota Cities <br />2015 City Policies Page 60 <br />