Loading...
CC Resolution No. 2341RESOLUTION NO. 2341 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN, TEXAS, ESTABLISHING THE CITY OF BAYTOWN'S LEGISLATIVE AGENDA FOR THE 2015 STATE AND FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS; AND PROVIDING FOR THE EFFECTIVE DATE THEREOF. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN, TEXAS: Section 1: That the City Council of the City of Baytown, Texas, hereby establishes the City of Baytown's Legislative Agenda for the 2015 State Legislative Session, which is attached hereto as Exhibit "A" and incorporated herein for all intents and purposes. Section 2: That the City Council of the City of Baytown, Texas, hereby establishes the City of Baytown's Legislative Agenda for the 2015 Federal Legislative Session, which is attached hereto as Exhibit `B" and incorporated herein for all intents and purposes. Section 3: This resolution shall take effect immediately from and after its passage by the City Council of the City of Baytown. INTRODUCED, READ and PASSED, by the City of Baytown this the 22nd day of January, 2015. A' BRYSCH, City ISM k APPROVED AS TO FORM: O• "n : z A f 7 ��.0•ND�at�`L G ACIO RAMIREZ, SR., C' y Attorney vote of the City Council of the H. DONCARLO�, Mayor R:\.KarenTiles +,City Council', Resolutions\2013Uanuary 10' Establish2013State &FederalLegislativeAgenda.doc Exhibit "A" BAYTOWN LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES 1BOOWN 84TH TEXAS LEGISLATIVE SESSION WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ✓ Support efforts to improve workforce development programs that will build a workforce in Texas to fill current and future technical job openings with Texas workers. ✓ Support legislation that will improve and sustain the Texas Skills Development Fund and other job training programs to facilitate competitiveness with programs like Louisiana's Fast Start and Georgia's Quick Start programs. LOCAL CONTROL ✓ Oppose legislation that would erode municipal authority in any way. ✓ Oppose legislation that would impose a revenue cap of any type or negatively expand appraisal caps. ✓ Oppose legislation that would expand requirements for issuance of any city debt or that would erode the ability of a city to issue debt in any way. ✓ Oppose legislation that erodes municipal authority in the areas of municipal annexation, municipal zoning or extraterritorial jurisdictions (ETJs). REVERSE INTERGOVERNMENTAL AID ✓ Oppose legislation that would require municipalities to fund former State and Federal programs without providing a means to recapture the associated costs. ✓ Oppose legislation that would impose additional state fees or costs on municipal court convictions or require municipal courts to collect fine revenue for the state. ✓ Oppose legislation that would remove or negate the strictly voluntary nature of TxDOT highway turnbacks, including relevant state budget strategies. POLLUTION CONTROL PROPERTYTAX EXEMPTION ✓ Oppose legislation that would extend the "Prop 2" pollution control property tax exemption to processes, facilities, or end products. LOCAL PARKS FUNDING ✓ Support legislation that would restore full funding for the Texas Local Park Grant Program. ELECTRIC AND (iAS RATEMAKING ✓ Oppose legislation that would eliminate cities' jurisdiction over electric and gas utility rates and /or eliminate the reimbursement of cities' rate case expenses. SYNTHETIC CANNABIS ✓ Support legislation proposed by the local law enforcement and criminal justice community that provides effective tools and authority to address the growing problem of synthetic cannabis in our state. 1 BAYTOWN LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES BAYS 84TH TEXAS LEGISLATIVE SESSION TRANSPORTATION ✓ Support legislation that would authorize the collection of municipal sales and use taxes for street maintenance for an indefinite term instead of the four years provided by current law. ✓ Support legislation that distributes Federal transportation funding in a way that provides local governments with long term funding, sends the funding directly to localities, gives local leaders a stronger role in the decision making process and streamlines the entire process. TOURISM ✓ Oppose legislation that would change the school start date to any date earlier than the fourth Monday in August. PEG FUNDS ✓ Support legislation that would expand the use of public, educational, and government (PEG) fees to include operational and related costs associated with PEG channels. PAYDAY LENDING ✓ Support legislation that would prevent further exploitative payday and auto title lending practices. OIL AND GAS REGULATIONS ✓ Oppose legislation that would diminish municipal authority to reduce the effects of oil and gas development on city residents. STATE WATER SHORTAGE ✓ Support legislation that would expand the authority of cities to operate all variants of desalination, including legislation that would allocate state funding to desalination. CITY SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY ✓ Oppose legislation that would erode a city's sovereign immunity. CONDEMNATION ✓ Oppose legislation that would further erode a city's ability to condemn property for a public purpose. RIGHTS-QF -WAY ✓ Oppose legislation that would decrease a city's authority to be adequately compensated for the use of its rights -of -way. ✓ Oppose legislation that would erode municipal authority over the management and control of rights -of -way. Exhibit "B" I BAYTOWN LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES BS 114TH UNITED STATES CONGRESS WORKFORCE ,DEVELOPMENT ✓ Support efforts, such as reauthorization of the Carl Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, to improve workforce development programs that will build a workforce in Texas to fill current and future technical job openings with Texas workers. ✓ Support workforce resources and programs that allow state and local levels of government to create programs that work for their state or locality, not one - size - fits -all national programs. PUBLIC SAFETY ✓ Maintain or expand federal resources for public safety grant programs that provide core services provided by the City of Baytown: ■ Federal Homeland Security Grant Programs (Urban Areas Security Initiative, Port Security, Buffer Zone Protection, and State Homeland Security); ■ Police Grant Programs (COPS and Byrne /Justice Assistance); and ■ Fire Grant Programs (Assistance to Firefighters, Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, and Fire Prevention and Safety). PUBLIC WORK ✓ Support implementation of the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Authority (WIFIA) as authorized with the enactment of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) to assist localities in need of resources for flood control, water supply, and wastewater infrastructure. ✓ Support the continued exemption of Public Water Systems and Water Treatment Facilities from the Department of Homeland Security CFATS regulation. ✓ Provide funding for hardening of existing infrastructure to mitigate natural and man -made disasters. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT +/ Oppose additional funding reductions to the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) and legislation that lowers the CDBG administrative cap below 20 %. RRIONUI ✓ Oppose legislation that would require municipalities to fund former State and Federal programs without providing the associated resources. PESTICIDES ✓ Support a legislative amendment to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act ( FIFRA) to clarify that pesticides or any biological control organism permitted under FIFRA will not be considered a pollutant and therefore avoid facing unnecessary restrictions by the EPA through the Clean Water Act. BAYTOWN LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES BAY, T� 114TH UNITED STATES CONGRESS MARKETPLACE FAIRNESS ACT ✓ Support legislation to address a loophole in the tax code and allow states and local governments the ability to require out -of -state (online) merchants to collect and remit sales tax at the time of purchase. FRANCHISE FEES ✓ Oppose efforts that reduce or eliminate a municipality's ability to collect franchise fees for use of rights -of -way. MUNICIPAL BOND INTEREST ++' Oppose legislation that would limit or remove the exemption on the taxing of municipal bond interest. FLEXIBILITY TO ALLOCATE PEG FEES ✓ Support legislation (similar to the Community Access Preservation, or CAP Act of 2013, 5.1789) that would eliminate the distinction between "capital" and "operating" with regard to how public, educational, or governmental (PEG) channels /studios utilize their support fees. NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (NEPA) REGULATIONS ✓ Support efforts to streamline and reform duplicative and burdensome requirements currently mandated by NEPA. ARTS AND CULTURE ✓ Support continued funding for NEA and EDA grant programs to improve arts and cultural opportunities in our community and to restore historic areas of our city. LOCAL AUTHORITY / PEG ✓ Oppose any legislation that would require local governments to adopt federal collective bargaining standards. ✓ Oppose any federal preemption of state defined - benefit plans, such as the Texas Municipal Retirement System. PRIORITY TRANSPORTATION INITIATIVES ✓ Support a multi -year reauthorization of the Federal Highway Bill that would preserve funding for localities to improve local transportation infrastructure. ✓ Support measures that allow for local control of transportation resources, eliminating unnecessary State and Federal administrative costs and creating efficiencies. ✓ Support federal programs, such as the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), that provide federal support for city -wide sidewalk and trail connectivity projects. ✓ Support construction of an 1 -10 Direct Eastbound Onramp from Spur 330. 2