Fort Walton Beach Council agenda — 02-10-09 special — reading text

will support legislation. that esta,b- lishes dedicated funding sources for multi -modal municipal trans- portation and transit. projects Municipal Pension Plans The Florida League. of. Cities wily oppose. leg i.slation that di.min ishes municipal control- over municipal employee pension plan management and funding, or increases municipal. funding liabilities, and will. support legislation that allows municipalities to use. all insurance premi- um - tax revenues-from firefighter' or police officer; pension plans to pay for existing or new plan benefits. Public Participation at P bl lc M. et ngs. The: Florida League of Cities will oppose legislation that interferes with municipal, autonomy in determining the conduct. of public meetings, o'cla med Water. Regulation The Florida League of Cities will support legislation clarifying that reclaimed water is an .integral component. of a utility's water supply plan and permitted discharge strat- egy that should not. be subject to additional regulatory actions by.the water manage- ment districts..Furthermore, the Florida League of Cities will support: legislation that provides any.quantities of currently permitted sources of water replaced by reclaimed. water should be transferred to the reclaimed water provider. Release. of Social Security Numbers The Florida League of Cities .will support .legislation repealing the provisions of current law that authorize the release of social security numbers to commercial entities. Special Assessments to Fund Law. Enforcement Services The Florida League of Cities will. support legislation that .allows municipalities to impose special. assessments, or a similar funding method, for the provision of law enforcement services in a.n initial revenue -neutral. manner to payers of property taXes,-Iand also, al- lows municipalities to use this funding source.to.replace .mu.nicipal service taxing units created within municipalities for law enforce- ment services. Tax Reform The Florida League of Cities will support legislation that pro- vides a fair and equitable tax .structure and allows municipalities the flexibility_to provide the level of 'services desired by their citizens. The League supports simplifying and stabilizing Florida's state and local tax revenue structure in :a manner that provides fairness for both citizens and businesses of our state, while ad- dressing the realities the current statewide constitutional taxing structure imposes on all Levels of government. The League op- poses arbitrary caps on property assessments, municipal .expendi- tures or municipal revenues. The state and all other taxing entities ,within the state, including municipalities, counties, school districts :and special districts, must agree to comprehensive tax reform addressing all categories of taxation, including: taxes based on: value, taxes based on. consumption, and taxes based on wealth. The state and all other taxing entities within the state must be included and share in the benefits and burdens of comprehensive tax reform. Until there is a comprehensive tax reform .package addressing a.11 taxpayers and taxing entities in an equitable manner, focusing " tax relief' efforts to 5 specified categor1es of taxpayers or at, specified taxing entities will only:serve to* mare. an inequitable taxing system more inequitable. A corn preh.. : ive tax reform package `must address, at a mini- mum,,the state's: property tax and sales tax systems: Property tax. system reforms must address: Inequities created by Save Our Homes,.which unfairly discriminates against- certain' taxpayers. Inequitable property assessment criteria. n ities for mipalities to replace property taxes with other forms of taxation 'in an initial revenue- neutra.{ manner to the taxing entity Opportunities for municipalities to replace property taxes with other revenue sources, such as special or non -ad valorem assessments to fund law enforcement services, in an. initial: revenue- neutral manner to, the taxing entity. Simplifying .the millage- setting process. V Permitting municipalities to'.lower millage. rate&,in one year. withOUt restricting their abil"ty t'd increase..millage rates in future years, such as requiring. them. to meet extraordinary statutory requirements for such an increase. Sales tax system reforms. must..address:_ Items subject to sales tax,.including a sales..tax on. services. Exemptions from sales taxes, with. any exemption to be based :on, provision of an essential item or service,.such as food or. medicine.. Opportunities for municipalities to adopt local sales taxes to rep. ace { other. revenues in an initial revenue -neutral manner.. Total Maximum Daily Loads = Florlda Department of Environmental Protection AN dicaat on Methodology The. Florida League of Cities will support leg islation.that strengthens existing law to require that water quality pollution reduction standards be based, on the best. available valid data. ap.plicab.le to the specific impaired water body. The League further 6 supports legislation requiring the Florida Department of Environ- mental Protection to formally integrate the considerations required by Section 403.067(6)( b), Florida Statutes, into its process when establishing total maximum daily loads ( TMDLs), and incorporate this information into the written record whenever it proposes and or adopts a TMDL. Unfunded Mandates to Local Governments The Florida League of Cities will support legislation that strengthens the prohibition on unfunded mandates, improves identification and quantification procedures, eliminates loopholes and requires full funding of new state mandates to municipalities. Water Management District Governance The Florida. League of Cities will support legislation restructuring the. governance of the water management districts to provide for increased accountability, efficiency and cooperation in water supply planning. and permitting among the state, local. governments and water users. The water management districts must be required to: Quantify and regulate groundwater used by domestic self suppliers. Provide notice to and allow participation as requested by local governments_in all permitting processes.. Issue consumptive use permits only when they are compatible with the local government comprehensive plan.  m D. D 0q r- L 0 D D A) ( 0 m :A) M " o D 0 OCOQ CD r m 0 0 0 0 t,, 9 P- I 5.- 1 gL M A) ( C6* 0 4P 'D 4D r+ 'c) M ( c) D 0 0, 0) : a ( g: A) C *o