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General Government <br />notsupportlegislativesolutionsthatfailtorecognizetheinterrelationshipsamongbuilders, <br />state buildingcodes andcities. <br />Metro Cities supports efforts to increase awareness of the potential impacts and benefits of <br />requiring sprinklers in new homes and townhouses. Metro Cities supports discussion andthe <br />dissemination of information on these impacts via the code adoption process throughthe <br />Department of Labor and Industry. Metro Cities supports adopting and amending theState <br />BuildingCodethroughtherulemaking processand opposeslegislativechangestobuilding <br />codesabsentunusualorextraordinarycircumstances. <br />Asenergycostscontinue torise,moreattentionmustbepaidtothe poorenergyefficiencyof <br />muchoftheexisting housingstockaswellascommercialandindustrialbuildings. <br />Homes and other buildings that are energy inefficient are more costly to maintain andcreate <br />addedcosttoownershipandoccupancy.Making homesandbuildingsmoreenergyefficient will <br />make them more affordable to operate and will help the state achieve energydemandgoals and <br />willreduce greenhousegasemissions.This includes supporting legislation to increase the <br />efficiency of buildings on a pathway toward net zero energy. <br />Metro Cities supports state funding and technical support for programs that provide <br />support for property owners for weatherization and energy efficiency improvements, <br />includingprograms availableforlocalgovernments. <br />Whilea singleset ofcoordinatedcodeshelpsprovideconsistency incodeadministrationand <br />enforcement, implementation of sustainable building design, construction, andoperation does <br />not readily integrate with the existing state building and energy codesystem. As a result, <br />many cities are interested in adopting stronger local standards forsustainable development <br />andconservation. <br />MetroCitiessupportsauthorizingcitiestoemploystrongerlocalstandardsforsustainable <br />development andconservationthatwillhelpinformthestatecodedevelopmentprocess. <br />The state shouldinclude anoptionalsustainableappendixtotheStateBuildingCodeto <br />allow citiestoutilizeappropriatepartsofguidelinesintheir communities. <br />2-GAdministrativeFines <br />Traditionalmethodsof citation,enforcementand prosecutionhavemet withincreasing coststo <br />localunitsofgovernment.The useofadministrative finesisa tooltomoderate thosecosts. <br />Metro Cities supports the administrative fine authority that allows cities to issue <br />administrative fines for defined local traffic offenses and supports further modifications to <br />enhance functionality of this authority. Metro Cities continues to support citiesÓ authority <br />to use administrative fines for regulatory ordinances such as building codes, zoning codes, <br />healthcodes,andpublicsafetyandnuisanceordinances. <br />Metro Cities supports the use of city administrative fines, at a minimum, for regulatory <br />mattersthatarenotduplicativeofmisdemeanororhigher-level statetrafficandcriminal <br />2022 Legislative Policies <br /> 13 <br /> <br />