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Home My WebLink About2014 legislative priorities7-dy Prepared by: Geoff Fruin, Assistant to the City Manager, 410 E. Washington St., Iowa City, IA 52240 (319) 356 -5014 RESOLUTION NO. 13-313 RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING THE CITY OF IOWA CITY'S 2014 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES WHEREAS, the Iowa City City Council seeks to encourage legislation that enhances economic development and opportunity in Iowa City as well as the State of Iowa; and WHEREAS, the City of Iowa City and other cities play a critical role in the future of the State; and WHEREAS, it is in the interest of the citizens of Iowa City that the City Council establish legislative priorities and convey said priorities to: State legislators who directly represent Iowa City, other State legislators, and to the Governor and the Governor's administration. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Iowa City City Council hereby outlines its legislative proposals to the Iowa City area legislative delegation for the 2014 Iowa State legislative session as follows: Ensure the financial sustainability of the Municipal Fire and Police Retirement System of Iowa (MFPRSI) Cities that are required to participate in the State MFPRSI pension system for public safety personnel are experiencing rapidly growing costs. Since FY 2011 Iowa City's contribution into the pension system has nearly doubled. These rapidly increasing costs are necessarily inflating local property tax rates. The State needs to carefully examine the long -term financial feasibility of this system and consider reforms that protect taxpayers and ensure that our public safety employees have fair benefits that can be sustained and counted on in their retirement years. The City encourages Iowa to reinstate the State contribution and to consider a tiered reform that protects benefits for current members and offers a more sustainable benefit package for new enrollees. Increase infrastructure funding that supports a diverse transportation network Current revenue streams are not keeping up with the growing costs of maintenance on our transportation network. As a result, cities are increasingly utilizing property tax dollars for basic infrastructure needs. The City encourages the state to consider measures to (1) increase funding of revenue sources for transportation infrastructure, and (2) commit to further diversifying our transportation network in a manner that will make it more competitive and sustainable in years ahead. Examples of such diversification measures include regional passenger rail, as well as enhanced funding for transit and bicycle accommodations. Provide local governments more flexibility in determining local revenue sources and preserve the Local Option Sales Tax distribution formula 2013 property tax reform measures are placing significant financial pressures on cities across the state. Over the next several years, cities will be challenged to maintain basic service levels that meet community expectations. In order to achieve a healthier diversification of revenue sources and meet community demands for municipal services, cities need enhanced flexibility to raise local revenues. Iowa City advocates for increased local control of revenue decisions Resolution No. 13 -313 Page 2 that can strengthen our cities and facilitate future economic growth in the state. The City also encourages the State to preserve the existing Local Option Sales Tax distribution formula. Support the University of Iowa's efforts to be global leader in 21St century higher education The University of Iowa plays a critical role in the local, regional and statewide economies. It is important the State of Iowa provides the university the needed resources to become a global leader in higher education. Ensuring the university's continued competitiveness in the higher education field will provide stability in the economy and facilitate growth opportunities in varied sectors of business community. The City encourages the State to carefully consider and support the legislative and financial priorities of the university. Support the legislative efforts of the Iowa League of Cities and the Metro Coalition Iowa City, as a member city of both organizations, supports the legislative priorities set forth by the Iowa League of Cities and by the Metropolitan Coalition for the 2014 legislative session, unless otherwise altered by the City. Passed and approved this 12th day of November , 20_L3 _. I OVA 1 • A oved by ATTEST: CITY CLERK City Attorney's Office 11-q-13 It was moved by Champion and seconded by Mims the Resolution be adopted, and upon roll call there were: AYES: X X X X X X X NAYS: ABSENT: Champion Dickens Dobyns Hayek Mims Payne Throgmorton I CITY OF IOWA CITY 06 MEMORANDUM Date: November 1, 2013 To: Tom Markus, City Manager From: Geoff Fruin, Assistant to the City Manager Re: 2014 Legislative Priorities Prior to the start of each State of Iowa legislative session, the Iowa City Council traditionally adopts legislative priorities and communicates the City's positions on those issues to our elected delegation. Staff has recently reviewed the priorities adopted by the Iowa League of Cities and the Metro Coalition and have compiled a list of five priorities to present to the City Council for consideration. Those priorities include: 1. Ensure the financial sustainability of the Municipal Fire and Police Retirement System of Iowa (MFPRSI) 2. Increase infrastructure funding that supports a diverse transportation network 3. Provide local governments more flexibility in determining local revenue sources and preserve the Local Option Sales Tax distribution formula 4. Support the University of Iowa's efforts to be global leader in 21st century higher education 5. Support the legislative efforts of the Iowa League of Cities and the Metro Coalition A resolution containing supplemental information has been prepared for Council consideration. Assuming Council approval, staff will begin to work on more detailed issue statements that will be distributed to our elected delegation. It is anticipated that the 2014 session will be fairly abbreviated and focused on a relatively few number of issues. This is primarily due to the gubernatorial election in the fall and the fact that there were several significant policy reforms in 2013. Given the anticipated nature of the session, staff is recommending that the City Council forgo the traditional joint meeting with the delegation. In lieu of that meeting, staff will arrange individual meetings with members of our delegation and have more detailed discussions on each of our priorities. To the extent possible, staff will aim to include the Mayor in each of those meetings. Finally, staff recommends that the City Council consider submitting a nomination to have a representative on the Iowa League of Cities legislative committee. This is a good opportunity for an elected official to become more familiar with issues impacting cities. Additionally, the position on the committee may enhance the effectiveness of our future lobbying efforts. Generally speaking, the time commitment is relatively minimal with a couple of statewide meetings per year and periodic committee correspondence conducted electronically. Included with this memo is the proposed resolution as well as the legislative priorities that were adopted by the Iowa League of Cities and the Metro Coalition. 4d(2) Iowa League of Cities 2014 Legislative Priorities Infrastructure Funding Increase existing funding and de- velop new funding resources for city infrastructure needs, which include maintaining Iowa's roads and bridges and water and wastewater compliance. Public Pension System Ensure long -term sustainability and fairness of the Municipal Fire and Police Retirement System of Iowa NIFPRSI). Enact changes to MFPRSI that result in a more balanced system and control costs to cities. City Finances and Economic Development Resources Support essential and diversified fund- ing options, including property tax backfill for local revenue losses and diversified revenue options; support progressive economic development policies and maintain funding for key economic development programs. Ensure legislation enhances a city's ability to make decisions at the local level to operate efficiently and to de- liver city services more effectively. Alf o I I IOWA LEAGUE QfC T1 Mayor Ron Corbett - Cedar Rapids, CHAIR /TREASURER Mayor Bob Scott -Sioux City, VICE CHAIR Mayor Frank Cownie - Des Moines, PAST CHAIR Mayor Ann Campbell - Ames Mayor Bill Gluba - Davenport MANDATE RELIEF Pension Reform ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Mayor Tom Hanafan - Council Bluffs Mayor Roy Buol - Dubuque Mayor Matt Hayek - Iowa City Mayor Buck Clark- Waterloo Mayor Steve Gaer - West Des Moines 2014 Le¢islative Priorities