Shape the League’s Legislative Platform: Sign Up for 2024 Policy Committees

The League welcomes members to join in discussing issues impacting their city and cities in general, and to help shape the League’s legislative policies and get involved with legislative issues. Hearing from cities around the state will be critical as the League shapes its legislative policies and priorities for the 2025 session.

Meetings will be hybrid format

As always, the League is happy to host legislative policy committee meetings both in person at the League building in St. Paul as well as online via Zoom. Members are encouraged to participate in whatever format is most comfortable and convenient.

Meeting 1

During the first meeting in July, each city official shares what issues are affecting their cities and what they would like the committee to address over the span of that year’s meetings. Officials are encouraged to look at specific policies and offer suggestions to change existing policies, create new ones, and delete obsolete ones.

League intergovernmental relations (IGR) staff will also provide a legislative update on the regular legislative session and any special sessions. Staff will also go through each legislative policy and explain whether it was addressed during the previous legislative session or special sessions. Staff and committee members will then discuss potential speakers for meeting 2.

Meeting 2

At the second meeting in August, members will hear from guest speakers, including representatives from state agencies and interest groups, legislators, and other local officials, to learn more about the issues that the committee has decided to focus on. The committee will also further offer and review draft changes to legislative policies.

Meeting 3

During the third and final meeting in September, members will continue to discuss and make policy changes, and vote to approve draft legislative policies.

After the meetings

In October, the draft legislative policies will be circulated to members for their comments. In November, the League Board of Directors will consider member comments and vote on final adoption of the League policies. The approved policies will then be published on the League’s website in a document called the 2025 City Policies. To get an idea of what to expect, you can view the 2024 Cities Policies.

View the 2024 City Policies (pdf).

Sign Up!

Last year, more than 150 city officials from all around the state participated in the four committees that set the legislative policies for the League’s lobbying efforts. City officials that have served before and those that have never served are encouraged to sign up. Interested in signing up? Email Ted Bengtson at [email protected].

Important note for members who served last year: If you have not already done so, please sign up to confirm your participation again this year, even if you served last year.

PDF versions of packets will be emailed to members in advance of each meeting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some common questions for those considering participating in policy committees:

Who can be on a policy committee?

Current city officials and staff are eligible. City council members, mayors, city administrators, assistant city administrators, clerks, human resources staff, municipal elections officials, public safety staff, engineers, finance directors, economic development staff, and others have been members of the committees. Committee members can be new to their city position, have many years of experience, or be somewhere in between.

When and where are the meetings?

Here is the 2024 schedule:

Improving Service Delivery Committee
Monday mornings: July 22, Aug. 19, Sept. 16 | 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Improving Local Economies Committee
Tuesday mornings: July 23, Aug. 20, Sept. 17 | 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Human Resources & Data Practices Committee
Tuesday afternoons: July 23, Aug. 20, Sept. 17 | 1:30-4 p.m.

Improving Fiscal Futures Committee
Wednesday mornings: July 24, Aug. 21, Sept. 18| 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

What topics does each committee address?

The topics include, but are not limited to, the following subtopics:

  • Improving Service Delivery: unfunded mandates, environmental mandates, elections, charter law, data privacy, government innovation and cooperation, and public safety.
  • Improving Local Economies: growth management, land use, boundary adjustments, housing, transportation, economic development, and telecommunications.
  • Human Resources & Data Practices: employment law, labor relations, data practices, Open Meeting Law, personnel, and pensions.
  • Improving Fiscal Futures: municipal financial management, property and other taxes, state aid programs, and financial reporting requirements.

For more information

Still have questions? Interested but not quite sure if you should sign up? Please contact League IGR Administrative Coordinator Ted Bengtson at [email protected] or (651) 281-1242.

We look forward to you joining us!