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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-01-17 City Council Special Meeting (Legislative Agenda) Minutes CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE Equal Opportunity Employer 2897 -458-Fax 651 2800 -458-651  gov.mnvewww.cottagegro Cottage Grove, Minnesota 55016 12800 Ravine Parkway  MINUTES COTTAGE GROVE CITY COUNCIL January 17, 2024 COUNCIL CHAMBERS 12800 RAVINE PARKWAY SOUTH SPECIAL MEETING – 4:45 P.M. Training Room 3.A. 2024 Legislative Agenda Staff met with Legislators to provide an outline of priorities which included: Economic and Community Development - Cottage Grove continues to experience residential, commercial, and industrial growth, creating a need for legislative action regarding: • Job growth - Cottage Grove supports economic tools that facilitate job growth without relying solely on the property tax base. The city supports the study of allowing mixed-use buildings that have commercial and residential uses to be included in a special service district (SSD). • Childcare programs - Expand investments in affordable Childcare Programs. • Workforce development - Expand investments in workforce development • Business expansion - Support new and expanding businesses, infrastructure development and public-private partnerships. • Redevelopment - Begin implementation of redevelopment plans to reinvigorate a tax base that is not fulfilling its potential. • Housing - Diversify the city’s housing stock to ensure it is serving all demographic and socio-economic communities and recognizing certain barriers to housing disparity that impact certain members of our community. Cottage Grove supports programs that reduce barriers to fair housing and equal opportunity. Transportation - Due to rapid yet measured growth, Cottage Grove is focusing on the following areas: • Red Rock Corridor - Give businesses the ability to attract talent from the surrounding community through transportation into Cottage Grove. • Street improvement districts - Address the limited funding mechanisms for maintaining aging streets. City Council Special Meeting Minutes January 17, 2024 Page 2 • Lights on Highway 61 - Acquire $4 million for funding corridor lighting along Highway 61 from the interchange at Washington County State Aid Highway 22 to the intersection with Trunk Highway 95. • Municipal state aid funding - Cottage Grove, like many growing communities, struggles to fund major roadway projects, creating costly delays and decreased motorist safety. Parks and Recreation - Cottage Grove has the vision of giving its residents the best recreational opportunities in the state by focusing on: • Future state/county recreational trail connection - Secure funding for a trail connecting Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park to Point Douglas Regional Trail/Park. • Park dedication - Address the need for cities to require park dedication fees and/or land without the requirement that land be subdivided. Administration - Cottage Grove is committed to excellence in the delivery of public services to community residents, businesses, and property owners. The city operates with transparency and cost-efficient communication while ensuring businesses operate safely and to the highest standards: • Newspaper notification requirement - Replace the requirement of a local newspaper notification with electronic notices on the city website and other social media platforms. • Licensure of massage therapists - Seek to establish a state requirement for licensure of massage therapists. Revenue and Taxation - Cottage Grove is committed to maximizing citizen engagement in the budgeting process, as well as maintaining transparency and responsible stewardardship of our citizens’ tax dollars by focusing on: • Office of the State Auditor (OSA) time limits - A reasonable time frame for tax increment financing (TIF) non-compliance violations should be established. • Restrictions on local government budgets - Maintain city autonomy in deciding the appropriate level of local taxation and services. • Sales tax on local government purchases - Secure sales tax exemption for purchases of goods and services made by cities. Water Quality and Sustainability - Cottage Grove remains committed to delivering water that meets state guidelines and producing a long-term plan to enhance resource sustainability while meeting community needs by focusing on: City Council Special Meeting Minutes January 17, 2024 Page 3 • Groundwater and well monitoring - To support water quality and well monitoring efforts in accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency Safe Drinking Water Act. • Impaired water - Support continued metropolitan development while protecting all water resources. • Water conservation - Contribute to a statewide effort to promote water conservation while providing municipal autonomy relative to individual communities. • Stormwater and wastewater - Ensure attempts to address water supply sustainability take all water users (and variables) into account, including municipalities, industry, private wells, agriculture, and contamination containment. Public Safety Cottage Grove Public Safety remains committed to protecting the city and its citizens by focusing on: • Mental Health Response Act - Fund a multi-jurisdictional co-responder program. • School resource officers - Implement modifications to law related to school resource officers (SRO). • Ambulance service costs and liability - Require Medicare to set ambulance payment rates to cover the cost of providing services. • Officer wellness - Understand and deal with the effects of common stressors facing our law enforcement professionals. • K-12 threat assessments - Support mandated K-12 threat assessments teams. • Recruitment and retention need - Support funding for state-wide recruitment and retention efforts. • Law enforcement training funding - Continue to fund training mandated by the MN Police Officer Standards and Training Board (MN POST Board). • Fleeing vehicles - Increased penalties for fleeing in a motor vehicle and modification of tracking devices used on fleeing vehicles. • Permit to purchase fees - Allow agencies to charge a reasonable fee for processing a permit to purchase. • Paid health insurance for law enforcement retirees - Support paid health insurance for law enforcement retirees. • Body worn camera redaction - Support reducing body worn camera redaction requirements in areas visible to the public. • Emergency medical services (EMS) local control - Support local unit of government control of emergency medical service (EMS). City Council Special Meeting Minutes January 17, 2024 Page 4 • Oppose threats to building code, sprinklers, and local control - Prevent loss of life from fire and assure Cottage Grove residents are safe in their home. Legislators and staff discussed 2024 priorities and what to expect with the Legislative session. With all items reviewed and no further discussion or action required, the meeting adjourned at 6:27 PM. Minutes prepared by Tamara Anderson, City Clerk.