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General Government <br />Revising absentee ballot regulations to allow any person 18 and older to witness the <br />absentee process andsigntheenvelope as awitness;and <br />Authorizing cities with health care facilities to schedule election judges to conduct <br />absentee votingatanearlier dateinhealthcarefacilities. <br />2-QUtilityFranchiseFees,AccountabilityandCostTransparency <br />Minnesota cities are authorized by Minn. Stat. 216B and Minn. Stat. § 301B.01 to require a <br />public utility (gas or electric) that provides services to the city or occupies the public right of <br />way within acityto obtainafranchise.Severalmetro areacitieshaveenteredagreementsthat <br />require the utilitytopayafee tohelpoffsetcostsofmaintainingtherightofway. <br />Cities are also adopting energy policies that use renewable energy resources to light or heat <br />public facilities. Policies and programs have also been instituted in cooperation with the public <br />utility franchisee to increase energy efficiency for all users. Cities also contract, at city expense, <br />with public utilities to ÐundergroundÑ wires. State laws also require energy companies to provide <br />moreelectric energyfromrenewable sources.Thespecific amountsvarybytypeofutility. <br />MetroCitiessupports: <br />State policies adopted by legislation or through rules of the Public Utility <br />Commission that provide cities with the authority to include city energy policies <br />andprioritiesinafranchise orsimilar agreementwithafranchisee;and <br />Greater accountability and transparency for city paid costs associated with <br />underground utility andsimilar work performed by electric utilities as part of a <br />localproject. <br />2-RWaterSupply <br />Municipalwatersuppliersarecharged withmeeting thewater supplyneedsof theircommunities <br />and work to do so with safe, reliable,and cost-effective systems that are sustainable both for <br />establishedcitiesandforallfuturegrowth. <br />The aquifers in the metropolitan area cross municipal boundaries and therefore require a <br />coordinated regional approachtoplanningfortheirfutureavailability.Currently,approximately <br />75% of municipal water supply in the metropolitan area comes from groundwater. With proper <br />management of the resource, the current water supply in the region is adequate; however, <br />Metropolitan Council projections predict localized declines in aquifer availability due to <br />populationgrowthestimates ifcurrentusagelevels aremaintained. <br />Regulation ofwateriscomplexand compartmentalized.Variousagenciespermititsuse,planfor <br />itsavailability,regulatestormwater,treatwastewaterand protectthesafety ofwater.To ensure <br />2022 Legislative Policies <br /> 18 <br /> <br />