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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8.a. Discuss 2018 Legislative Agenda EXECUTIVE SUMMARY City Council Regular Meeting: January 16, 2018 AGENDA ITEM: Discuss 2018 Legislative Agenda AGENDA SECTION: Unfinished Business PREPARED BY: Logan Martin, City Administrator AGENDA NO. 8.a. ATTACHMENTS: 2018 Legislative Agenda APPROVED BY: LJM RECOMMENDED ACTION: Motion to approve the City’s 2018 Legislative Agenda BACKGROUND In order to provide direction to the City’s representatives at the State Legislature and other levels of government, the City annually drafts a set of priority projects, funding requests, or legislative initiatives. This list outlines the City’s desires from a legislative standpoint, and they can be shared with other partners and interested parties. The City partners with the League of Minnesota Cities and Metro Cities on broader issues affecting the region, and we generally do not repeat the platforms listed in those policies. The City typically adopts its legislative priorities in January prior to the beginning of the Legislative Session. The Council engaged in an initial discussion on the attached list of priorities at a worksession on November 13, 2017, and it is now prudent to review the list for final adoption. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends the City Council approve a motion adopting the attached 2018 Legislative Priorities. 2018 Legislative Priorities The City of Rosemount has identified the following legislative priorities for 2018. The City generally supports the platforms of Metro Cities and the League of Minnesota Cities and these policies are not generally re-stated here except where they have unusual relevance for Rosemount. • Interchange funding for Highway 3 & Rosemount High School. The intersection of State Highway 3 and 142nd St W is overly congested and needs to be addressed. ISD 196 is completing a significant project in 2018 to improve traffic flow in and around Rosemount High School, however the intersection at Highway 3 and its traffic issues are not being addressed. Hundreds of students and parents use this single access point to enter / exit the school, and the increased traffic on Highway 3 requires a traffic control solution be installed. The City supports a State / ISD 196 partnership to address this intersection in the near term. • Increased equity in Dakota County’s Transportation Cost Share Policy. The City supports Dakota County’s recent work in exploring changes to its Transportation Projects Cost-Share Policy. The current policy of a 55%/45% cost-share on County roads is overly burdensome and impacts the City’s ability to utilize MSA funds for other needed projects. County investment in its roadway infrastructure is crucial for transit and economic development initiatives, and responds adequately to the growth anticipated in the region. The City support additional investment and a reduced cost-share allocation on County roadway projects. • Funding for extension of railroad quiet zone. Rosemount has developed a quiet zone through most of the community at a cost of over $1 million. As the community grows east, another crossing currently outside our quiet zone on Bonaire Path is increasingly disrupting the lives of new residents. Because this next crossing is on an unpaved road with no crossing arms or signals at all, the cost to add this one crossing to our quiet zone may be $750,000-$1,000,000, or nearly as much as the safety improvements for the entire rest of the community. Our ability to fund this locally is greatly affected by the obligation for the 42/52 interchange noted above. • Funding for expansion of Rosemount’s Family Resource Center. This facility, staffed by local non-profit 360 Communities, has been a huge success in Rosemount to help families with after school tutoring, a food shelf and other programs. The building is now too small for the demand placed upon it. A 3,000 square foot addition has been preliminarily designed with an estimated cost of $900,000. Funding assistance from the State and Dakota County will be necessary to advance this project. • Consider legislation on control of drones. Law enforcement and citizens are uncertain about whether drones can hover over someone’s private property and also about the safety of allowing them at certain types of public events. Legislative clarification is needed as privacy rights and safety are balanced with the potential usefulness of drones. • State Licensing of Massage Therapists. The City supports legislation requiring the statewide licensure or registration of massage therapists to assist local law enforcement efforts to control prostitution and other criminal activity. Minnesota is one of only five states that has no such requirement. • Support Dakota County’s request for funding for the Mississippi River Regional Trail. The portion of the trail in Rosemount must contend with three active rails, industrial land, and high truck traffic in a constrained corridor. An agreed upon solution with the Union Pacific Railroad calls for two grade separated railroad crossings to keep trail users safe from railroad and truck traffic. State bonding support in the amount of $2.5 million is sought which will be matched by Dakota County to complete the project.