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HomeMy WebLinkAbout031036 RES - 01/10/2017 Resolution ,.. 1) 31 0 3 6 Adopting the City of Corpus Christi's State Legislative Priorities for the 85th Texas Legislature and Federal Legislative Priorities for the 115h U.S. Congress WHEREAS, the 85th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature will convene on January 10, 2017 for 140 days; and WHEREAS, the 115th United States Congress will convene on January 3, 2017 for two annual sessions and is scheduled to adjourn on January 3, 2019; and WHEREAS, the City of Corpus Christi, its residents, businesses, industry, governments, agencies and institutions benefit significantly from federal and state government agency programs and services provided in the community and are greatly impacted by legislative activities; and WHEREAS, Every state legislative session and congress, thousands of bills are filed and many have the potential to either directly or indirectly impact the City of Corpus Christi (City), its programs and services, its citizens, the tax base, and community needs; and WHEREAS,The City's Intergovernmental Relations(IGR)Department is responsible for monitoring state and federal governmental activities, developing legislative priorities approved by City Council, managing the City's legislative consultants at Focused Advocacy in Austin, TX, and Meyers & Associates, LLC, in Washington, D.C., and coordinating legislative activities with other public and private sector entities and municipal advocacy organizations; and WHEREAS, to be successful, this ever-evolving business environment requires close contact and constant communication with legislative leadership, external legislative consultants, national and statewide municipal advocacy organizations, national and statewide partners, community leadership, and community stakeholders. WHEREAS, it is necessary to provide guidance for the City's officers and representatives in conducting the City's state and federal legislative efforts and relations; Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Corpus Christi, Texas: SECTION 1. The City Council generally SUPPORTS federal and state legislation and/or administrative actions that: • Protect and enhance City revenues; • Reduce or eliminates costs to the City; • Furthers local control; • Protects policies previously established by City leadership through Charter, ordinances,resolutions and master plans; and Page 1 of 8 0 31 0 3 CINDEXED • Provides increased educational opportunities and job creation/retention for the citizens of Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend region through the Port of Corpus Christi authority, public schools, community colleges and universities. SECTION 2. The City Council generally OPPOSES federal and state legislation and/or administrative actions that: • Undermine the principle of home rule and local control by the City; • Results in the loss of revenue or negatively impacts potential revenue growth to the City; • Diminishes the authority of cities to regulate and manage their growth and development; • Nullify or undermine the City's policies contained in existing provisions of the Charter, ordinances,resolutions, and master plans, unless such changes expand the City's ability to manage its own affairs; and • Imposes unfunded mandates that requires any expenditures by the City unless all costs are fully reimbursed by the mandating governmental entity. SECTION 3.The City Council adopts the following policy issues as its federal legislative agenda for the two annual sessions of the 115th Congress: A. PRIORITIES Require significant new requirements for the Department of Defense Site Clearinghouse before authorizing construction of a wind farm if the proposed project interferes with the navigational radar and poses a threat to national security, pilot safety or public safety. Authorize City and Navy to exchange City-owned land in clear zones of Navy landing fields for Navy-owned land on State Highway 358. Eliminate the Production Tax Credit for wind farms within a certain distance of a military installation if the proposed project interferes with the navigational radar and poses a threat to national security, pilot safety or public safety and support legislation as proposed by U.S. Senator John Cornyn to achieve this goal. Oppose legislation eliminating the tax exempt status of municipal bonds. Support continued investment in the development of Interstate 69 and Marine Highway 69 as an international freight corridor providing strategic intermodal connections from the Texas-Mexico border and ultimately through eight states to the US-Canada border. B. ACTIVELY SUPPORT Support legislation directing federal agencies to classify all investment grade municipal securities as High Quality Liquid Assets. Page 2 of 8 Support passage of a National Defense Authorization Act which provides a predictable budgetary structure and minimizes the uncertainty and indecision of sequestration. Support the Marketplace Fairness Act, which allows states to tax sales from out-of-state online vendors. Support Water Quality Improvement Act advocated by the US Conference of Mayors' Water Council. Creates Integrated Planning Permit lasting a minimum of five years,but no more than 10 years. Clarifies definition of"attainable water quality"by mandating that it be both "technically achievable" and "economically affordable". Eases EPA enforcement penalties for cities that do integrated planning. Prohibit the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency from redefining "waters of the United States", which expands the definition of which surface waters and wetlands are subject to the Clean Water Act's regulatory requirements and protection. Support funding to continue investment in the development of Interstate 14(the Gulf Coast Strategic Military Highway) to provide the energy production area of West Texas and the various Texas military facilities improved access to Corpus Christi and the Gulf Coast. Support amendment to add another segment from the Permian Basin to the Interstate 14 designation to better connect Corpus Christi to West Texas. Oppose increases in overweight trucks on federal highways above the current 80,000 pounds limit. Enact re-authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration to provide stability, predictability and reliability to airports,pilots, airlines, and the aviation industry. Support legislation to direct the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, at the Department of Homeland Security, to coordinate with State and local governments on securing their information systems. Support continued funding and oppose further cuts of Community Development Block Grants and HOME program through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Support funding to prevent, prepare for, and respond to Zika virus, other vector-borne diseases, and related health outcomes. SECTION 4. The City Council endorses the federal legislative priorities and recommendations of affiliate professional, trade, community and services organizations in which the City, its elected officials, and/or staff in their official capacity are members of or serve on the boards of directors, when those policy recommendations are aligned with Page 3 of 8 the mission of the City and are not in conflict with a specific policy adopted by the City Council. Those entities may include,but are not limited to the United States Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities, the National Community Development Association, the Alliance for Interstate 69 Texas, 1-14 Gulf Coast Strategic Military Highway Coalition, Building America's Future, Association of Defense Communities, Army Aviation Association of America,the Coalition for Sustainable Flood Insurance, the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, the South Texas Military Facilities Task Force, the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau, Del Mar College, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend, the Corpus Christi Housing Authority, and the Coastal Bend Council of Governments. SECTION 5.The City Council adopts the following policy issues as its agenda for the 85th Regular Session and any potential Special Called Sessions of the Texas Legislature. A. PRIORITIES: Support the continued ability of local officials to determine the amount of revenue necessary to provide critical services for the protection, safety and welfare of its residents. Support the continued ability of local elected officials to responsibly manage growth through annexation and protect the rights of city taxpayers, who bear the costs of providing services to the region's growing population. Support the continued ability of local elected officials to pass ordinances for the benefit and best interests of their constituents. Oppose changes to the eminent domain laws. Oppose pre-emption of its existing ordinances, which protect the public,health, safety and welfare of its residents. Support increasing FY 2018-2019 biennial appropriation to $60 million for the Defense Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant (DEAAG) Program to invest in preserving jobs and economic sustainability of Texas military installations. Support prohibiting construction of wind turbines within a reasonable distance of a military installation. Support prohibiting school districts from granting Chapter 313, Tax Code, tax abatements for wind farms within a reasonable distances of a military installation Support adding a provision to the seller's disclosure notice to make buyers of certain residential property aware that the property could be located near a military installation and could be affected by high noise or air installation compatible use zones or other operations. Page 4 of 8 Encourage the Texas A&M University System, the Board of Regents, communities within Nueces County and Kleberg County to discuss and review the potential merger of Texas A&M University Corpus Christi and Texas A&M University Kingsville comprehensively and be inclusive of all groups. Oppose any legislation or proposal that would adversely affect,be harmful or detrimental to those affected communities. Oppose revisions to the reforms achieved in SB 900(84th Regular Session,2015),including the restructuring of the governing board to put policyholders on equal footing with insurance industry members, establishing TWIA financial structure that provides a stable, sustainable and affordable rate structure capable of covering a 1-in-100 year storm, requiring member insurance companies to pay allowable assessments sooner, establishing a small statewide catastrophic storm fund for excess losses, and structuring a more financially beneficial re-insurance program. Support allowing local elected officials and/or voters to consider additional funding options for cities to address streets, sidewalks and other transportation needs that are not otherwise met by current funding sources. B.ACTIVELY SUPPORT Support continue reliable, sustainable and predictable funding for the Texas Department of Transportation(TxDOT)to build and maintain Texas'highways,roads,bridges, and multi- modal transportation infrastructure to protect the health, safety and welfare of the traveling public. Support continued policy of non-diversion of revenue from the State Highway Fund. Urge consideration of a Constitutional Amendment to prevent such diversions in future legislative sessions. Support funding for TxDOT to continue investment in the development of Interstate 69 (along US Highway 59, US Highway 77, US Highway 281, US Highway 84, Interstate 2 and State Highway 44) and Marine Highway 69 (the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway) as an international freight corridor providing strategic intermodal connections from the Texas-Mexico border and ultimately through eight states to the US-Canada border. Support funding for TxDOT to continue investment in the development of Interstate 14 (the Gulf Coast Strategic Military Highway)to provide the energy production area of West Texas and the various Texas military facilities improved access to Corpus Christi and the Gulf Coast. Support efforts to fully implement Propositions 1 and 7 and ensure equitable distribution of funding among the districts. Oppose any efforts to reduce anticipated funding from these two revenue sources. Page 5 of 8 Support sufficient funding for engineering, right-of-way acquisition, and related project development costs to ensure that high priority projects are made shovel-ready for these new revenue sources. Support legislation regulating the sale,storage,transportation,and disposal of scrap or used tires, including an adequate fee structure to implement strategies to eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites for the Zika, West Nile, and other viruses. Support amending the Open Meetings Act (Chapter 551, Government Code), to clarify existing authorization for closed sessions on cybersecurity threats. Support amend the Texas Tax Code making the State's sales tax on large marine vessels competitive with other coastal states. Support maximize funding at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to assist near non-attainment communities remain in compliance with newly revised U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Ozone. Oppose changes to the school start date law(4th Monday in August), which allows Texans to vacation through August, bringing millions of sales tax dollars to the Coastal Bend. Oppose legislation that negatively impacts the gains made by the SSO bill last session(SB 912, 84th Regular Session 2015)or biosolids land application(HB 2248 and HB 2460, 84th Regular Session 2015). SECTION 6. The City Council endorses the state legislative priorities and recommendations of affiliate professional, trade, community and services organizations in which the City, its elected officials, and/or staff in their official capacity are members of or serve on the boards of directors, when those policy recommendations are aligned with the mission of the City and are not in conflict with a specific policy adopted by the City Council. Those entities may include,but are not limited to the Texas Municipal League, the Transportation Advocates of Texas, the Alliance for Interstate 69 Texas, the Gulf Coast Strategic Highway Coalition, the Texas Recreation and Parks Society (TRAPS), the Texas Mayors of Military Communities, Texas Coalition for Affordable Power(TCAP), Texas Chapter of Solid Waste Association of North America (TxSWANA), H204 Texas Coalition, Water Environment Association of Texas (WEAT), Texas Water Conservation Association(TWCA), the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Future of the Region South Texas, Del Mar College, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend, the Corpus Christi Housing Authority, and the Coastal Bend Council of Governments. SECTION 7.The Legislative Priorities remain in effect until amended by the City Council. SECTION 8. The City Manager is directed to distribute these Federal and State Legislative Priorities to the local legislative delegation, legislative leadership, external Page 6 of 8 legislative consultants, municipal advocacy organizations, federal and state municipal partners, community leadership, and community stakeholders to solicit their advice and support. This res lution takes effect upon City Council approval on this the f tJ day of 4P-17. ATTES : THE CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI pcicbcde. --4(A2,y --- ., -- ' Rebecca Huerta Dan Mc ueen City Secretary Mayor Corpus Christi, Texas liciLi of W 1/1 2017 4 Page 7 of 8 The above resolution was passed by the following vote: Mayor Dan McQueen Carolyn Vaughn IL' Ben Molina Lucy Rubio Greg Smith • Rudy Garza Paulette Guajardo f Michael Hunter Joe McComb 4 Page 8 of 8 (31036