TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Steve Powers, City Manager
FROM: City Council Legislative Committee
SUBJECT:
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Summary report of City’s activities during 2017 Oregon Legislative Session
Ward(s): All Wards
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods
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ISSUE:
End of session report summarizing the City’s legislative activities during the 2017 session of the Oregon State Legislature.
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Information only.
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SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND:
In November 2017, in anticipation of the 2017 Legislative Session, the Council adopted a set of legislative policy statements (Attachment 1). The policy statements guide public officials and the City's contracted lobbyists in responding to and formulating positions on issues expected to come before the Oregon Legislature, and position the City to respond more expeditiously to moving legislation. The statements address broad topics of economic development, financing and revenue, human resources, land use, telecommunications, public safety, land use and the environment.
Throughout the 2017 Legislative Session, the City Council’s Legislative Committee met to consider positions on bills before the Legislature. The Council’s Legislative Committee is comprised of Mayor Bennett and Councilors Andersen, McCoid and Nanke. Councilor Kaser serves as an alternate.
Bills determined to be of significant interest by the City Council’s Legislative Committee are recommended to Council for adoption as a 1 or 2 priority based on the following assessment:
1. Very High Priority - Major fiscal or policy impact. Mayor, councilors, and/or staff should work to support or oppose the bill.
2. High Priority - Moderate Impact. Staff should be involved in supporting or opposing the bill.
With the recommendation of the Council’s Legislative Committee, Council adopts positions on bills at its next regular meeting. The policy positions direct the City's lobbying efforts through the Legislative Session. The City’s contracted lobbyist, CFM Strategic Communications, works on behalf of the City at the Council’s direction during the Legislative Session.
FACTS AND FINDINGS:
During the 2017 Legislative Session, with the support of CFM, the City Council adopted positions on 112 bills and weighed in on the elements included in early iterations of the transportation funding package. The City was successful in securing legislative approval for House Bill 3245, the Salem-sponsored comprehensive plan map bill, which allows the City to continue its current practice of allowing city planning commission to make final decisions on quasi-judicial minor Comprehensive Plan Map changes. In addition, staff reviewed and monitored another 415 bills. By far, the greatest number of bills pertained to law enforcement, municipal finance and franchise, and economic development matters.
CFM has provided the attached 2017 Legislative Session summary (Attachment 2), which describes the Legislative Session, in general, and a brief summary of bills of interest to the City of Salem. The report includes a detailed appendix of the City’s positions on 2017 Legislative Session bills, as adopted by Council, and their status at the ends of the Session. The detailed summary by bill reference number also includes several bills which were monitored by staff during the session.
Courtney Knox Busch
Strategic Initiatives Manager
Attachments:
1. 2017 Salem Legislative Policy Statements
2. City of Salem, Oregon Legislative Report, 2017 as submitted by CFM Strategic Communications