Agenda - Council - 06/28/2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Municipal State -Aid Streets — Included in the Omnibus Transportation Bill were annual funding allocations for municipal state -aid streets of $107.7 million for fiscal 2016 and $178.1 million for fiscal 2017, which represents an increase of approximately $41 million over the previous biennium. Small Cities Assistance Account — A one-time appropriation of $12.5 million was provided to create a new Small Cities Assistance Account to assist with construction and maintenance of roads located within eligible cities, defined as a statutory or home -rule charter city that does not receive municipal state aid street financing (generally those with a population under 5,000). The aid will be distributed to eligible cities biannually in each year funds are available based on the following formula: 5 percent equally to all eligible cities; 35 percent allocated proportionately on each city's share of lane miles to the total for all eligible cities; 35 percent allocated proportionately on each city's population to the total for all eligible cities; and 25 percent allocated proportionately on each city's state -aid adjustment factor to the total for all eligible cities. Workforce Housing Grant Program — The Omnibus Jobs and Energy Bill included annual funding of $2 million for fiscal 2016 and 2017 for a new Workforce Housing Grant Program. Eligible cities can use the grants to develop "market rate residential rental property" to serve employees of businesses located in the eligible project areas. The maximum grant award may not exceed 25 percent of the rental housing development project cost; and awards must be matched by a local unit of government, business, or nonprofit organization with $1 for each $2 of grant funding. Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) Policy — Law enforcement agencies that utilize ALPRs are required to establish policies governing their use that are consistent with statutory guidelines. The Legislature placed limitations on the type of data that can be collected using ALPRs, and clarified the circumstances under which that data is considered public or private. A limitation of 60 days was established for the retention of data collected by ALPR not related to an active criminal investigation. Standards were established for the sharing of ALPR data between law enforcement agencies. Elections — The Elections Omnibus Bill made numerous changes to elections administration laws, including requirements for filing fees for statutory cities, ballot formatting and marking, absentee ballots, and election recounts. Energy Conservation Measures — The Uniform Municipal Contracting Law was amended to add water metering devices that increase efficiency to the definition of energy conservation measures, enabling municipalities to enter into guaranteed energy savings contracts for the use of water metering devices. Responsible Contractor Requirement — The "responsible contractor" law enacted by the 2014 Legislature became effective on January 1, 2015. Contractors who bid on public contracts in excess of $50,000 are now required to certify that they are a "responsible bidder" in order to be awarded a contract as the lowest responsible bidder or best value alternative. The 2015 Legislature made several clarifications and modifications to the law, including: exempting design professionals and materials suppliers from the requirements; making motor carriers subject to the requirements and establishing a separate verification standard for them; excluding tax increment financing revenue from the value of a construction contract under the law; and allowing general contractors to submit bids without obtaining verification from all subcontractors that bid on the project (the successful prime contractor must submit a supplemental verification under oath prior to the execution of the contract). Appraisal Requirements for Eminent Domain — Effective July 1, 2015, the appraisal requirements for the acquisition of property by eminent domain are changed to require the acquiring entity to obtain at least one appraisal for the property proposed to be acquired only if the acquisition value is greater than $25,000. For acquisitions less than $25,000, the acquiring entity may obtain a minimum damage acquisition report in lieu of an appraisal. -17-