Last month we gave you a preview of what priorities the AWC Board would consider for 2020—now it’s official! AWC’s Board adopted the following seven legislative priorities for the 2020 session:
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Adopt a comprehensive set of transportation policies that provide robust new resources and local options
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Fully fund the Public Works Trust Fund (PWTF)
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Create a tax increment financing (TIF) option for cities
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Preserve city fiscal health with secure funding sources
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Support statewide medication assisted treatment (MAT) services in city and regional jails by providing local flexibility
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Advance a watershed-based strategic plan to address local fish-blocking culverts along with state culverts
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Continue to pursue new resources and policies to increase affordable housing both at the state and local level
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Read a full summary of these priorities and fact sheets.
Time to adopt your city’s legislative agenda
If you haven’t already started, now is the time to develop and adopt your city’s 2020 legislative agenda. Your city’s legislative agenda should focus on the policy issues and capital requests important to your community. Be specific and keep it short and simple. It is a real benefit if you can also include support for AWC’s priority issues.
When you have adopted your agenda, please share it with AWC. Send a copy to candiceb@awcnet.org. Need some ideas to help you develop that agenda? We’ve got examples from other cities on our webpage.
Don’t forget to share your agenda with your local legislators. If you haven’t already set up a meeting with them—do it ASAP! This is also a good time to invite them to attend a council meeting or a budget workshop to get to know more about the issues facing your city.
Looking beyond the 2020 legislative session
While we are planning right now for the 2020 legislative session, we are also already looking beyond the session to some things coming up later in 2020.
In early spring, AWC will begin the process of updating the AWC Statement of Policy. The Statement of Policy contains AWC’s guiding principles for our advocacy efforts. It is updated every six years and presented to AWC membership at the Annual Conference in June for ratification. Right now, we are recruiting for members interested in serving on the State and Federal Policy Committee which is tasked with updating the Statement of Policy.
Additionally, everyone knows that 2020 is a big election year. The National League of Cities (NLC) has just announced its 2020 Presidential Election Task Force. The task force is comprised of about 20 elected city leaders representing a diversity of city sizes, geography, and backgrounds and will work to create a city issues platform to ensure that issues important to city leaders are a top priority during the 2020 presidential election and into the next administration.
NLC’s goal is to ensure that candidates seeking the highest executive office understand the importance of working in partnership with local leaders to build stronger communities across the country. As a bipartisan organization, NLC wants to make sure both parties are represented in our discussion about local priorities for the next administration.
Specifically, the task force will help NLC develop a “city platform” that outlines the most important local issues NLC hopes the candidates address throughout the campaign and next administration.