Agenda - Council Work Session - 02/27/2018

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Housing & Economic Development for this program, as provided under law. Metro Cities supports increased and sustained general fund and state bond funds for DEED -administered programs like the Redevelopment Grant Program, dedicated to metropolitan area projects; innovative Business Development Public Infrastructure grants; as well as increased, flexible and sustained funding for the Contamination Cleanup and Investigation Grant Program. The expansion of transit service throughout the region brings opportunity for redevelopment and transit oriented development (TOD). Metro Cities supports financing, regulatory tools and increased flexibility in the use of TIF to nurture TOD. Metro Cities supports funding Transit Improvement Areas (TIAs) and ensuring that the eligibility criteria encourage a range of improvements and infrastructure and accommodate varying city circumstances and needs. Correcting and stabilizing polluted soils and former landfill sites allows cities to redevelop and reuse properties. Metro Cities supports expansion of existing tools or development of new funding mechanisms to correct unstable soils as well as city authority to redevelop land previously used as landfills and dumps. If a city receives initial approval from a state regulatory authority, a city's redevelopment project approval should be considered final. Local governments and cities may choose to revitalize historic structures rather than construct new buildings. Metro Cities supports extension of the sunset of the state income tax credit and maintaining the federal tax credit for preservation of historic properties. Metro Cities supports state funding to allow cities and/or their development authorities to assemble small properties so that business expansion sites will be ready for future redevelopment. 3-K (3) Workforce Readiness A trained workforce is important to a strong local, regional and state economy. Cities have an interest in the availability of qualified workers and building a future workforce as part of their economic development efforts. Cities can work with the public and private sectors to address workforce readiness to include issues such as addressing racial disparities in achievement and employment gaps. The state has a role to prepare and train a qualified workforce through the secondary, vocational and higher education systems and job training and retraining programs in the Department of Employment and Economic Development, including youth employment programs. Metro Cities supports: • Increased funding for the Job Skills Partnership, youth employment programs and other workforce training programs administered by the state that lead to jobs that 2018 Legislative Policies 29