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-..-.. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE The first two months of this session have been extremely busy in the legislature. Over 500 bills have been introduced, and committees are spending long hours hearing testimony and making decisions concerning these bills. I will attempt to highlight a few of these acti- vities in this month's column. A bill was passed by the Gevernmental Opera- tions Committee, which will result in at least a $50,000 per year savings to the state in per diem, and other costs. If the commissioner of any state agency feels the need for an advisory group on some parti- cular regulation, program, or task, he may still appoint a task force, but task force members do not collect per diem. Councils which act in an ombudsman capacity for the handicap or minority groups will not be affected by this bill. The Tax Committee is currently looking for methods to beef-up compliance with state tax revenues laws. One example is a proposal from the Revenue Department that no on-sale liquor licenses be issued by counties or muncipalities until the Revenue Department issues a certifi- cate stating that the establishment applying for the license is up-to-date on its taxes; both sales taxes that have been collectef rom customers and income taxes that are withheld from employees. The department says that bars and restaurants owe more back taxes - more than $9 million - more than any other industry in the state. The proposal to hold up licenses failed to pass the committee last week, but is expected to surface again before the session is over. A bill ~as introduced in both the House and Senate last week to abolish the Minnesota Board of Education and allow the Commissioner of Education to assume its duties. The nine member board body is responsible for educa- tional policy making in the state, but criti- cism has surfaced about whether or not its work 'overlaps with the legislature's and the commissioner's. This is a somewhat controversial the board is suppose to serve as a ween citizens and the legislature. author believes it will allow for a smoother decision-making process on bill, as link bet- But its faster and education Issues. A measure that might take uninsured motorist off the road and help people in accidents get their compensation passed the Judiciary Com- mittee last week. Under present law, the EPS may revoke driver's licenses and license plates up to 12 months, and require retesting and payment of fees to have them re-instated. The present law makes it necessary, though, for police to check with all insurance car- riers in the state, to verify if a person has falsely claimed to have insurance. By making this false statement a crime, the police can zero in on the company the motorist has stated in carrying his insurance. Thus, making a false statement a misdeanor gives teeth to enforcement. A bill designed to decrease the number of underaged drinkers who attend keg parties was explained at the first meeting of the! House Beverage Sub-Committee. This bill would require all off-sale liquor dealers to record . ERNIE LARSEN . a beer keg sale with the name and address of purchaser, and an identification number of the keg. The bill requires all beer kegs with the capacity of 8-gallons or more, to have a distinctive engraving or permanently attached serial number. Dealers would record the sale and keep the information on file for a period of 60-days. Registration of beer kegs is currently being practiced on the local level in the City of Montevideo and some of its surrounding communities, and testimonies show it was easily implemented. Last November, about 60% of the voters ap- proved a constitutional amendment to allow the state to sell highway bonds at greater than 5% interest specified in the constitution. A bill was passed by the Transportation Com- mittee last week, to allow that mandate to take effect. As someone pointed out, bonds authorized in 1978 at 5% interest, were selling until the "interest rates caught up with us." Nearly half the highway bonds authorized in 1978 remain unsold. As we all know, our highways are badly in need of r6pair. If passed by the legislature, this bill allowing bonds to be sold at market interest rates and another bill raising the gas tax will go a long way toward getting our roads and bridges back into shape. I have tried to highlight for you a number of the bills that are currently in committee or before legislature. If you would like any further information on any of these bills, please contact me at 350 State Office Building or you may call my office at 296-2209. The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do. -Walter Bagehot con't from page 1 which to submit additional documents and com- ments for the hearing record. Copies of these documents and comments must be submitted to both the hearing examiner and the WMB staff. 8) Following the seven day period discussed above, the WMB staff will have seven working days in which to respond to the public tesimony presented at the hearing and subsequent docu- ffients submitted into the hearing record. 9) Copies of additional documents submitted by members of the public and the WMB staff responses will be available for inspection at the WMB offices. 10) No factual information or evideace which is not a part of the hearing reord will be considered by the hearing examier or the WMB in the determination of this matter. 11) The hearing examiner will prepare a report which will contain findings of fact, conclu- sions, and recommendations on issues related to the proposed areas. 12) The WMB staff will make final recom- mendation to the WMB regarding the proposed areas. 13) The WMB will make a dete,rmination as to which sites should be included in the final inventory based on the hearing record. 14) Persons wishing to be notified of the availability of the hearing examiner's report, the staff recommendation, or the board's determination of the final inventory of preferred areas may so indicate at the hearing. Submit written testimony to BOTH of the following people: Sharon Decker Waste Management Board 7323 58th Ave. No. Crystal, Minn. 55428 AND Howard L. Kaibel Office of Administrative Hearings 400 Summit Bank Bldg. 310 4th Ave. So. MDls., Minn. 55415 MARCH 22NO AGEtlJA MARCiH 22nd AGENDA Due to the early cut off date for the Resident it should not be assumed that what follows is complete. COUNCIL OLD BUSINESS: 1) Finance (a. Revenue and disbursement Re- port of January 1983; b. Cash Flwo Report for January 1983; c. Transfer of Funds). 2) Adoption of Utility Assessment Ordinance. 3) Skating Rink Drinking Fountain. 4) Adoption of REsolution Ordering Improvement and Preparation of Plans and Specifications for Street Improvement Project #83-1 (155th Avenue and Variolite St. ~.W.). 5) Adoption of REsolution Ordering Improvement and Preparation of Plans and Specifications for Street Improvement Project #83-2 (167th Ave. N.W. Cty Rd. #5 to Jaspar St.) 6) Approval of Preliminary Community Develop- ment Block Grant (CDBG) Funding to be used in Development of Methane Energy for Industrial Use; Request for. 7) Surface Water Management. 8) Council Personeel Committee (a. Labor Negotiations; b. Personnel Staffing). 9) Request to split lots in Oakridge Estates; Case of Mr. Joe Sentyrz. NEW BUSINESS 1) Variance to Subdivide by Metes and Bounds, Request for: Case of Mrs. Marlys Schindel- decker. 2) Public Works (a. Receiving Price Quotes on Flail Mower; b. Receiving Price Quotes on Used Roller and Authorization to Sell Surplus 1971 Dodge Dump Truck). 3) Adoption of Resolution Ordering Preparation of Report on Seal Coating of Streets. 4) Spring Pet Clinic 5) Preli.inary Plat Approval; Request for; Case of Sorteberg's Second lddition. f 6) Fisc3l Disparity. 7) Increase in Building Per.it Fee. 8) Licenses for Approval. 9) Bills for Approval. Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out. -James Bryant Conant CABLE NEWS The Cable T.V. Commission has changed the time of their meetings to 5pm-7pm. The meetings will still be held on the fourth Wednesday of each month at the Anoka City Hall on the second level. Because of cancelations there will be some changes in the selection Cable T.V. will be offering as opposed to what was determined at the time the franchise was bid two years ago. Within the next two months these determinations will be made and at that time I will print a list of the channels we will have and the various fees for these services. At the last Council Meeting a site was se- lected for the Ramsey Tower. This site is lo- cated at 16510 Ramsey Blvd. I hope that it does not confirm the apprehensions of the residents who live around the site. Now that the site has been determined, the cable company, Group W, is preparing stranding maps of the City after which they will start stringing the cable. All areas where there are 40 or more homes within a cable mile should be strung by the end of the summer. (I said ~HOULD). Sue VanWagner pa.';je 3