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General Government <br />2-A Mandates, Zoning & Local Authority <br />Metro Cities opposes statutory changes that erode local authority or create additional <br />mandates that increase local costs without a corresponding state appropriation or <br />funding mechanism. New unfunded mandates potentially increase property taxes and <br />impede cities' ability to fund traditional service needs. <br />Metro Cities believes that zoning decisions should be made at the local level. Metro Cities <br />supports legislation to give local officials greater authority and discretion to approve or <br />deny variances to allow flexibility in responding to land use needs of their own <br />community. <br />Metro Cities also supports legislation to remove barriers to uniform zoning <br />ordinance amendment processes for all cities, regardless of city size classification. <br />To allow for greater collaboration and flexibility in providing local services, Metro <br />Cities encourages the removal of barriers or hurdles to cooperation and coordination <br />between cities and other units of government or entities. Metro Cities supports local <br />decision- making authority. <br />2-B City Enterprise Activities <br />Creation of an enterprise operation allows a city to provide the desired service while <br />maintaining financial and management control. The state should refrain from infringing on this <br />ability to provide and control services for the benefit of community residents. <br />Metro Cities supports cities having authority to establish city enterprise operations <br />in response to community needs, local preferences, state mandates or to ensure <br />residents' quality of life. <br />2-C Firearms on City Property <br />Cities should be allowed to prohibit handguns and other weapons in city -owned buildings, <br />facilities and parks and to determine whether to allow permit -holders to bring guns into <br />municipal buildings, liquor stores, city council chambers and city sponsored youth activities. It <br />is not Metro Cities' intention for cities to have the authority to prohibit legal weapons in <br />parking lots, on city streets, city sidewalks or on locally approved hunting land. <br />Metro Cities supports local control to allow or prohibit handguns and other weapons <br />on city -owned property. <br />2018 Legislative Policies <br />11 <br />