Advocacy Update

December 4, 2019

Government Affairs, Uncategorized

North Metro News

• White Bear Lake voters approved the state’s largest successful school bond measure.
• Seven chambers of commerce are partnering to host a free-entry business summit. The two-hour event is Anoka County’s latest effort to encourage economic growth in the region.
• Developers and north metro cities hope apartments, a grocery store, and more than 100 new single-family homes, plus the possibility of a new hotel, can breathe new life into County Road 10.

South Metro News

• The City of Burnsville is working on a Stormwater System Modeling and Analysis Study. Click here to view an interactive map and provide feedback about areas with known drainage problems and flooding.
• A number of south metro communities voted to fund improvements in their school districts on Election Day. Faribault voters were split on their levy questions, approving a seven-period day at the high school while rejecting increased funding to pay for additional academic support and more transportation options.
• A proposal to pump up to 500 million gallons of Dakota County groundwater annually and transport it by rail to the western United States is being considered by the DNR.

East Metro News

• Ryan Companies has reached a development agreement with the City of Saint Paul that will bring 3,800 units of housing, the largest solar array in the state and 100 percent of electricity from renewable or carbon-free sources to the vacant Ford Motor Co. site.
• Nelsie Yang won a majority of votes after four rounds of election judges hand-counting ranked-choice paper ballots. St. Paul voters also said yes to city’s trash collection system.
• Maplewood is joining a number of suburbs in toughening licensing rules for landlords.

West Metro News

• Starting in January 15, 2020, the City of Minneapolis will include a new energy disclosure report in the Truth-in Sale of Housing (TISH) program. The two-page ‘Asset-Based Energy Efficiency’ report will be part of the set of returned documents from the TISH inspection. Find out what’s new in this report from the Minneapolis Association.
• A report from the Minnesota Housing Partnership details the lowest vacancy rates in 10 years and the unprecedented financial pressures for renters in Hennepin County.

State & National News

• The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit recently heard oral arguments in the case challenging the Department of Labor (DOL) association health plan (AHP) rule issued in 2018. A decision is not expected until next year, likely late winter or early spring.
• To counter a growing narrative that the Federal government has expanded its exposure to risky mortgages, NAR recently published an op-ed with the Mortgage Bankers Association, the American Bankers Association, and the National Home Builders Association in the American Banker.
• A shortage of construction workers and the severe shortage of affordable housing across the country is spurring interest in manufactured housing. A number of elected officials are talking about this Minnesota Public Radio article on the issue.

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