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05-13-19-R
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05-13-19-R
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<br />-19- <br />LEGISLATIVE UPDATES <br /> <br />The 2018 legislative session, falling in the second half of the state’s fiscal biennium, was a short session <br />in which only two major finance-related bills were passed, omnibus bonding bills related to bonding, and <br />pensions. The following is a brief summary of specific legislative changes from the 2018 session or <br />previous legislative sessions potentially impacting Minnesota cities. <br /> <br />Omnibus Bonding Bill – The omnibus bonding bill authorized financing for over $1.5 billion in capital <br />improvements. Included in the approved funding was $542 million for various transportation <br />infrastructure, $99 million for local city-related economic development projects, and appropriations for a <br />number of different utility (water, sewer, wastewater, etc.) infrastructure improvement programs. <br /> <br />Wastewater Investment Protection – Effective retroactively back to August 1, 2017, when a city builds <br />a new wastewater treatment facility or upgrades one to meet current standards that exceed its previous <br />performance, the investment in that facility would be considered adequate for a period of 16 years before <br />a city could be required to upgrade the facility again to meet updated state wastewater facility standards. <br /> <br />Competitive Bidding Threshold – Effective for contracts awarded on or after August 1, 2018, the dollar <br />threshold at which Minnesota Statutes require the use of a sealed bidding process was raised from <br />$100,000 to $175,000. This extends the dollar range for which contracts may be awarded using direct <br />negotiation (obtaining two quotations) to contracts between $25,000 and $175,000. By reference, this <br />change also increased the dollar threshold at which public contractors’ performance and payment bonds <br />are required for contracts over $175,000. <br /> <br />Water Tank Maintenance Contracts – Effective for contracts awarded on or after September 1, 2018, <br />multi-year service contracts for water tank maintenance work that were previously allowed to be awarded <br />through direct negotiation, are required to be awarded through a sealed bid or best value bid procurement <br />process when the total cost of the contract for the services and supplies is expected to exceed the <br />competitive bid threshold of $175,000. <br /> <br />Minnesota Licensing and Registration System (MNLARS) – The Legislature established the <br />MNLARS steering committee, and a one-time appropriation of $9.65 million was approved for fiscal <br />year 2018 to fund costs related to the continued development, improvement, operation, and deployment of <br />the MNLARS. However, a bill to provide an additional proposed appropriation of $9 million to partially <br />compensate deputy registrars throughout the state for financial losses related to the flawed rollout of the <br />MNLARS was vetoed by the Governor. <br /> <br />Pension Benefit Reforms – The 2018 pension bill included a number of reforms to the various defined <br />benefit pension plans across the state, including the plans administered by the Public Employees <br />Retirement Association (PERA). <br /> <br />• Reforms impacting the PERA General Employees Retirement Fund (GERF) plan included: <br /> <br />o Post-retirement cost of living adjustments (COLAs) will be equal to 50.0 percent of the <br />annual increase for Social Security, but not less than 0.5 percent, and not more than <br />1.5 percent. <br />o For early retirees that retire on or after January 1, 2024, COLAs are deferred until the retiree <br />reaches the normal retirement age. <br />o Phases in actuarial reduction factors over five year on early retirement benefits payable <br />beginning July 1, 2019. <br />o The rate of interest paid on refunds of employee contributions to former public employees <br />was reduced from an annual rate of 4.0 percent to 3.0 percent.
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