Agenda - Council Work Session - 01/26/2016

Home

Legislature. Specifically, the legislation would forbid law enforcement agents from acquiring customer information from pawn and secondhand shops until they have probable cause to do so, and would eliminate the authority of local units of government to more strictly regulate pawn and secondhand dealers. Response: The League of Minnesota Cities supports the authority of cities to regulate and license pawnbrokers, and opposes any legislation that would remove the authority of local governments to enact more restrictive regulations than currently exist in Minn. Stat. ch. 325J. The League supports the authority of cities to set licensing and transaction fees that enable them to recover their full regulatory and enforcement expenses. The League supports cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the pawn industry that enhances the ability to identify illegal activity and recover stolen property. Access to transaction information by law enforcement agencies is vital to accomplishing this goal. Further, the sharing of information through the use of the APS is a proactive way to prevent property and other crimes. SD -35. Compensation and Reimbursement for Public Safety Services Issue: Municipal public safety personnel often respond to emergencies involving non- residents. For example, municipal fire, police, and/or ambulance services may be dispatched to the scene of a traffic accident on an interstate highway involving victims from other cities or states. Although cities can bill for some public safety services they provide to non-residents, they have limited authority to collect on unpaid bills. Cities have also found that auto insurance policies vary when it comes to coverage for emergency responses. Insurance companies of those responsible for accidents sometimes deny payment for fire and ambulance service. Additionally, municipal public safety personnel commonly respond to emergencies that require the provision of medical services. The medical services provided by the city -employed first responders are part of a continuum of health care that is covered by insurance companies when provided by paramedics and other medical care providers; however, insurance policies vary when it comes to coverage for municipally provided medical services. Insurance companies of those treated by municipal public safety personnel frequently deny payment for emergency medical services when they are billed by a municipality. Thus, when a municipal public safety agency provides first response medical assistance, they commonly do so at the expense of local property taxpayers. While emergency responses are legitimate functions of municipal public safety departments, the costs of providing services to non-residents should not be borne by the community's taxpayers. Response: Cities should be compensated for emergency responses they provide to non-residents. They should have the authority to bill for the full cost of fire and ambulance services they provide, and to collect on unpaid bills. Further, while emergency medical responses are legitimate functions of municipal public safety departments, the League of Minnesota Cities 2016 City Policies Page 23