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Municipal Revenue & Taxation <br /> 1-Q State Program Revenue Sources <br /> Metro Cities opposes any attempt by the state to finance programs of statewide <br /> value and significance that are traditionally funded with state revenues,with local <br /> revenue sources such as municipal utilities or property tax mechanisms. Statewide <br /> programs serve important state goals and objectives, and should be financed through <br /> traditional state revenue sources such as the income or sales tax. <br /> Metro Cities further opposes substituting traditionally state funded programs with <br /> funding mechanisms that would disparately affect taxpayers in the metropolitan <br /> area. <br /> 1-R Post-Employment Benefits <br /> Metro Cities supported enacted statutory changes that allow local governments to <br /> establish trusts from which to fund post-employment health and life insurance <br /> benefits for public employees,with participation by cities on a strictly voluntary <br /> basis, in recognition that cities have differing local needs and circumstances. Cities <br /> should also retain the ability to determine the level of post-employment benefits to be <br /> provided to employees. <br /> 1-S Health Care Insurance Programs <br /> Metro Cities supports legislative efforts to control health insurance costs, but <br /> opposes actions that undermine local flexibility to manage rising insurance costs. <br /> Metro Cities encourages a full examination of the rising costs of health care and the <br /> impacts on city employers and employees. Metro Cities also supports a study of the <br /> fiscal impacts to both cities and retirees of pooling retirees separately from active <br /> employees. <br /> 1-T State Budget Stability <br /> Metro Cities strongly supports a state revenue system that provides for stability, <br /> flexibility and adequacy in the system, reduces the volatility of state revenues and <br /> improves the long term balance of state revenues and expenditures. Metro Cities <br /> supports a statutory budget reserve minimum that is adequate to manage risks and <br /> fluctuations in the state's tax system and a cash flow reserve account of sufficient <br /> size so that the state can avoid short term borrowing to manage cash flow <br /> fluctuations. <br /> Metro Cities also supports an examination of the property tax system and the <br /> relationships between state and local tax bases,with an emphasis on state budget <br /> cuts and their impact on property taxes. State budget deficits must be balanced with <br /> statewide sources and must not further reduce funding for property tax relief programs <br /> 2017 Legislative Policies 8 <br />