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