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reforms that give cities the flexibility to <br />provide quality goods and services at the <br />lowest cost to taxpayers. <br />SD-17. City Enterprise Operations <br />Issue: Historically, city enterprise <br />operations have been created in response to <br />community needs, lack of a private market, <br />financial reporting requirements, state and <br />federal mandates, to enforce state and local <br />law, and to ensure a quality of life for the <br />residents of a community. Establishing an <br />enterprise operation allows a city to provide <br />a desired service while maintaining financial <br />control over service levels, costs, and public <br />inputs. <br />In some cases, enterprise operations produce <br />general public benefits and may require <br />public support to ensure a desired level of <br />service at a reasonable cost. The benefits of <br />an enterprise operation, therefore, should be <br />evaluated not solely in terms of profitability <br />but also on the service benefits to citizens of <br />the community. <br />Response: The League of Minnesota <br />Cities supports the local decisions made <br />by cities to deliver services by establishing <br />a city enterprise operation. The state <br />should refrain from infringing on the <br />ability of a city to provide services for its <br />community. <br />SD-18. Preservation of Order in <br />City Council Meetings <br />Issue: The Minnesota Supreme Court <br />recently held a provision in Minn. Stat. § <br />609.72, subd. 1(2), that prohibits disturbing <br />public meetings was unconstitutionally <br />broad. State v. Hensel, A 15-0005 (Minn <br />2017). Minn. Stat. § 412.191 gives statutory <br />authority to city councils to preserve order <br />and regulate procedure at their meetings. <br />Cities rarely relied on the struck -down <br />statute, but instead used other avenues to <br />maintain order, such as issuing warnings and <br />enforcing decorum rules. The struck -down <br />statute served as a last resort when other <br />options did not work. <br />Response: The Legislature should ensure <br />statutes adequately balance public <br />participation with the ability to effectively <br />manage public meetings and protect <br />public safety. <br />SD-19. Constitutional Amendments <br />Issue: The Minnesota Constitution requires <br />that a constitutional amendment be approved <br />by a simple majority of both chambers of the <br />Legislature at one session, and must then be <br />ratified by a majority of all the voters voting <br />at the election. Minnesota is one of 18 states <br />that require a simple majority vote by <br />legislators while 26 states require a higher <br />threshold (17 states require a two-thirds <br />majority and nine require a three -fifths <br />majority). Since statehood, 215 proposed <br />constitutional amendments have been voted <br />on by the electorate; 120 of them have been <br />approved (56%) and 95 rejected (44%). <br />Cities provide a variety of critical and <br />essential services to residents of Minnesota. <br />Many public policy decisions at the state <br />level impact cities and therefore, city <br />officials depend on their state legislators to <br />represent city interests at the Legislature. <br />Additionally, unlike a statutory change, a <br />constitutional amendment is difficult to <br />modify or repeal once enacted. <br />Response: The League of Minnesota <br />Cities strongly supports our <br />representational system of government <br />and opposes laws and amendments that <br />restrict local government. The Legislature <br />is the appropriate governing body to <br />consider and enact laws that reflect <br />League of Minnesota Cities <br />2018 City Policies Page 11 <br />