RES 18-201�
amity of Elk River
Ver City CouncH
Resolution 18-20
A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Elk River Supporting Local
Decision -Making Authority
WHEREAS, local elected decision -makers are in the best position to determine what health,
safety and welfare regulations best serve their constituents; and
WHEREAS, just like state legislative leaders, local elected officials are held accountable
through Minnesota's robust elections process; and
WHEREAS, ordinances at the local level are enacted only after a comprehensive, legal and
open process; and
WHEREAS, local units of government are required to publish notices about meetings where
policies will be discussed and decisions will be made; and
WHEREAS, under the state's Open Meeting Law, public policy discussions and decisions
must occur in meetings that are accessible to members of the public; and
WHEREAS, cities are often laboratories for determining public policy approaches to the
challenges that face residents and businesses; and
WHEREAS, preservation of local control in Minnesota has yielded statewide benefits such as
the 2007 Freedom to Breathe Act, an amendment to the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act; and
WHEREAS, more than two dozen bills that restrict local decision-making have been
introduced in 2017 and 2018 to date.
NOW, THEREFORE, RE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Elk River,
Minnesota, as follows: This Council supports local decision-making authority and opposes
legislation that removes the ability for local elected officials to respond to the needs of their
businesses and constituents.
Passed and adopted this 2"d day of April 2018.
I
Jo J. Dietz; May
ATT—
Tina Allard, City Clerk
r01EREI it
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