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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Legislative Review Committee - 11/13/2003 -LEGISLATIVE REVIEW COMMITTEE Meeting Summary November 13,2003 Legislative Review Committee present:Ray Martinez,Marty Thaup,Eric Hamrick Staff:John Fischbach,Diane Jones,Mark Radtke The meeting was called to order at 8:02 a.m. MEETING SUMMARY The meeting summary for the October 22,2003,Legislative Review Committee meeting was approved as written. PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE DRAFT 2004 LEGISLATIVE POLICY AGENDA The Committee discussed three items flagged for additional consideration at the October 22 meeting. Item A was a request to replace the 2003 policy statement supporting a statewide indoor tobacco smoking restriction with a 2004 policy statement opposing a statewide measure that would weaken the Fort Collins smoking ordinance and infringe on home rule.All committee members supported the idea of opposing a statewide law that would weaken the Fort Collins ordinance.Mayor Martinez suggested wording the statement in positive terms.Councilmember Tharp suggested and the Committee adopted a statement to be fashioned from the following wording “Support legislation that is more effective than Fort Collins’ordinance,but does not infringe on home rule.”Staff will fine tune the language and include it in the 2004 Legislative Policy Agenda. Item B replaced the 2003 policy statement supporting a specific congressional bill dealing with the Cache Ia Poudre River Corridor Act with a more general 2004 statement supporting efforts to make the Corridor Act workable.The Committee approved the new policy statement. Item C provided additional background information on a new policy statement supporting a change in law that would allow the extension of existing sales tax to the sale of gasoline.The 2004 policy statement was approved with the addition of the phrase from Councilmember Hamrick “without jeopardizing the HUTF share-back”.Councilmember Flamrick asked if giving local government the ability to apply sales tax to gasoline might prompt the state to end the local share-back of Highway Users Tax Fund dollars.Mark Radtke reported on his conversations with several people working on these issues.He did not believe there is a significant risk in raising this issue,as it will be one of many revenue issues now emerging.There is a growing consensus that current revenue streams dedicated to transportation are falling short of meeting Colorado’s transportation needs. 0 Mr.Radtke presented the Committee with an additional 2004po licy statement that supports extending communication confidentiality protection to police services peer counselors.All committee members expressed reservations about the policy statement. Mayor Martinez asked for more information on the limits of the protection,specifically if they would keep a peer counselor from reporting knowledge of a crime.Action on the policy statement was deferred. ADOPTION OF THE DRAFT 2004 LEGISLATIVE POLICY AGENDA The Committee approved on a 3-0 vote adoption of the 2004 Legislative Policy Agenda as amended and sent it forward for fill City Council action on December 2. FUTURE MEETINGS A calendar of Committee meetings for 2004 was approved by consensus. The regularly scheduled meeting of the Legislative Review Committee set for December 11,2003 was cancelled. The Committee adjourned at 8:24 a.m. The next scheduled meeting of the Legislative Review Committee will be January 15, 2004.