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City Administrator Ulrich continued to review the City's legislative platform. <br /> Representative Scott stated that she is on the Ways and Means Committee,which met the previous <br /> day to discuss the surplus. She explained that even though there is a surplus there is additional <br /> discussion needed to determine the actual amount that would be surplus as funds were taken from <br /> the reserves to balance the budget. <br /> Representative Heinrich stated that it was shocking to him to find out that the Ways and Means <br /> Committee just discovered this information the previous day. <br /> Representative Scott noted that inflation is not figured into the budget formula,which also has an <br /> impact on the surplus. She stated that while she would like to give the surplus back to taxpayers, <br /> it will need to be determined how much is actually there. She noted that another preference would <br /> be to complete projects with that cash rather than bonding. She stated that this will be a bonding <br /> year and anticipates a robust bonding bill. She hoped that progress could be made on HHS. She <br /> highlighted some other topics that could be an issue including facial recognition technology. <br /> Representative Heinrich stated that he is looking forward to learning more about the issues with <br /> DHS. He stated that fraud in the CCAP program have also been an issue. He noted that a lot of <br /> people use the program legitimately. He stated that Highway 10 continues to be a big issue on his <br /> radar. He noted that he is a member of the Committee, which will tour Duluth the following day <br /> to learn about their transportation needs. He stated that he is attempting to schedule a tour of the <br /> Highway 10 Gateway area in January. He recognized that Highway 10 continues to be an <br /> important project for this area and noted that he will continue to focus on funding in the next <br /> session. <br /> Mayor LeTourneau appreciated the efforts of Representative Scott on the Ways and Means <br /> Committee. <br /> Councilmember Musgrove stated that Minnesota is one state that taxes social security and asked <br /> if there is a way to influence that. <br /> Representative Scott acknowledged that Minnesota is one of only 13 states that taxes social <br /> security. She noted that if those taxes are eliminated that would leave a hole in the budget. She <br /> was unsure that there was an appetite for that with the current mix of the legislature. <br /> Representative Heinrich commented that the issue continues to gain momentum. <br /> Councilmember Riley stated that one of the issues for Ramsey is reform of the Metropolitan <br /> Council and asked if that will be a topic at the legislature. <br /> Representative Scott commented that while she is a believer in that reform, she is unsure that the <br /> issue is on the radar at this time. <br /> Representative Heinrich agreed that it is not a priority for the leadership in the House currently. <br /> City Council Work Session/December 10,2019 <br /> Page 2 of 8 <br />