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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 -24. Workforce Readiness <br />Issue: It is critical for the future of our <br />economy to prepare for new demographic <br />trends. While population rates among <br />communities of color are projected to <br />increase, the unemployment rate for <br />communities of color exceed the <br />unemployment rate for white Minnesotans. <br />For example, data from the Bureau of Labor <br />Statistics (BLS) indicate that black <br />unemployment rates are consistently two to <br />three times higher than the unemployment <br />rates of white Minnesotans. In addition, <br />while early work experience is a leading <br />predictor of future success in a workplace, <br />recent statistics from BLS show that the <br />youth unemployment rate for 16-19 year <br />olds is three times that of the unemployment <br />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 />LE -25. Community Reinvestment <br />Partnerships and Financing <br />Issue: The 2001 property tax reform <br />package has had a dramatic impact on how <br />the state of Minnesota's community <br />reinvestment needs is addressed. The <br />impacts bring into question the future <br />viability of tax increment financing (TIF) as <br />the primary tool to fund community <br />reinvestment efforts. Additionally, the <br />impacts of the 2006 eminent domain reforms <br />will dramatically limit a city's ability to <br />assemble parcels of land needed to facilitate <br />economic development and redevelopment <br />projects. Activities cities have historically <br />League of Minnesota Cities <br />2016 City Policies Page 61 <br />