Minnetonka Looks For Relaxed Shared Services Laws

On the list of Minnetonka’s goals for the state’s legislative session that begins on Monday is a request for legislators to support local reform, by removing barriers for local governments to share services.

The city would like to be able to cooperate with other cities in the area, to provide services imposed by the state, such as environmental health and building inspections. While some cooperative agreements are already successful, state law makes it difficult to collaborate in other areas.

“We think we do a good job with collaborating, but the state is slipping backwards,” said Minnetonka City Manager John Gunyou.

For example, he said the health department is giving the city push back on contracting for restaurant inspections in other cities.

“We provide much better service than the state does, and it’s cheaper,” said Gunyou. “It’s sort of everything we are supposed to be doing, but it gets caught up in the requirement that they will not designate to a city that can designate to another city.”

Gunyou called it a bureaucratic why-are-we-doing-it-this-way question.

“It doesn’t make sense, but that’s the law,” he said.

This bureaucratic push back is also interfering with a plumbing agreement between Minnetonka and St. Louis Park.

Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka) said the appetite for shared services between cities is clearly there.

A group of legislators has been traveling the state to get support for the MAGIC Act Minnesota Accountable Government Innovation and Collaberation Act) where they are trying to remove barriers to make shared services easier.

All legislators will get together at an event called “One Minnesota,” hosted at the Capitol a few days after the session begins. This year, the theme is on transforming government. Bonoff said one of the break-out sessions is on this topic.

“They are charged with coming out of the session with actual bills that could facilitate your ability to do this,” Bonoff reassured city staff.

The state of the economy has been an aid in this initiative, added Sen. Olson (R-Minnetrista). “This has forced people to realize there is not a tree out there that is going to rain money on their needs,” she said.

Budgeting Systems

Gunyou said another upsetting example of the way the state is over-reaching their power is a proposal for all cities and school districts to change their budgeting system. He asked local legislators at a on Friday to make sure that initiative does not pass.

“It’s just a really wrong-headed approach,” Gunyou said. “Minnetonka is not the problem here, but yet they want us to change our budgeting systems.”

Although baffled as to why they may want to do this, Gunyou said his personal theory is that the Taxpayers Association has an issue with public pensions and they don’t feel they can get the data from every local entity for research.

“If that’s the issue, then just have us report that,” Gunyou said, clearly upset by the proposal. Minnetonka’s finance department is proud of its current budgeting method and transparency.

Each year for over 25 years, the city of Minnetonka has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. The honor is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting.