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IMPROVING SERVICE DELIVERY <br />SD-1. Unfunded Mandates <br />Issue: Federal and state mandated <br />programs substitute the judgment of <br />Congress, the president, the Minnesota <br />Legislature, and the governor for local <br />budget priorities. These mandates force <br />cities to reduce funding for other basic <br />services or to increase taxes and service <br />charges. <br />Response: <br />a) Existing unfunded mandates should be <br />reviewed and modified, or repealed <br />where possible. <br />b) No additional statewide mandates <br />should be enacted unless full funding <br />for the mandate is provided by the <br />level of government imposing it or a <br />permanent stable revenue source is <br />established. <br />c) Cities should not be forced to comply <br />with unfunded mandates. <br />d) Cities should be given the greatest <br />flexibility possible in implementing <br />mandates to ensure their cost is <br />minimized. <br />e) The legislative government redesign <br />groups created in 2010 should <br />consider the various unfunded <br />mandates as they look at local <br />government reform and redesign and <br />make recommendations for the next <br />session. <br />SD-2. Local Approval of Special <br />Laws <br />Issue: The Minnesota Constitution prohibits <br />special legislation except for certain special <br />laws relating to local government. It <br />provides that a special law must name the <br />affected local unit of government and is <br />effective only after approval by the local <br />government unit, unless general state law <br />provides otherwise. Under state statute, a <br />special law is not effective unless approved <br />by the affected local unit of government, <br />except under limited circumstances. <br />In recent years, the Legislature has <br />occasionally enacted general laws that affect <br />a single local unit of government. By <br />enacting a general law with limited <br />application, local approval is not required. <br />Response: The League of Minnesota <br />Cities supports the constitutional <br />requirement that a special law must be <br />approved by the affected local unit of <br />government before it can take effect. If a <br />law is intended to affect or benefit a single <br />local unit of government, the Legislature <br />must follow the requirements for enacting <br />a special law set forth in the Minnesota <br />Constitution and in state statute. The <br />League specifically opposes the <br />Legislature's technique of bypassing the <br />constitution by not naming the local <br />government, but describing the local <br />government in such narrow terms that it <br />can only apply to one entity. <br />SD-3. Redesigning and Reinventing <br />Government <br />Issue: Every level of government is <br />redesigning, reinventing, and reevaluating <br />its organizational structure and programs in <br />response to financial realities and citizens' <br />needs and problems. Reforms, however, <br />must be more than change for the sake of <br />change to existing programs. It is <br />imperative that government officials talk <br />with citizens about how services are <br />currently provided and how they can be best <br />provided in the future. <br />League of Minnesota Cities <br />2015 City Policies Page 1 <br />