HomeMy WebLinkAbout6117 - ADMIN Resolution - City Council - 1978/09/1811'
RESOLUTION NO. 6117
RESOLUTION OPPOSING COSTS OF GOVERNMENT BROUGHT ABOUT
BY THE ACTIVITY OF UNACCOUNTABLE PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS
WHEREAS, public opinion in recent years has called for increasing
openness in the deliberations and decision-making process of legislative
and executive activities of municipalities; and
WHEREAS, public opinion in recent years has called for increasing
accountability and greater sensitivity to the potential of losing home
rule powers; and
WHEREAS, public policy has been increasingly replaced by market
policy and other private policy institutions, thus causing a loss of
public control over decisions affecting costs; and
WHEREAS, costs mandated by other levels of government and private
policy institutions have increasingly eroded the powers of municipal
home rule; and
WHEREAS, such costs have been responsible for increasing levels
of taxation; and
WHEREAS, the level of taxation should remain the prerogative of
politically accountable individuals acting as public bodies; and
WHEREAS, decisions affecting the level of taxation should be decided
in the open deliberations of politically accountable individuals acting
as public bodies; and
WHEREAS, decisions affecting the level of taxation should be dOcided
in the open deliberations of politically accountable individuals; and
WHEREAS, such decisions which affect the level of taxation should
be closely scrutinized by the public; and
WHEREAS, government has a responsibility to provide price and
wage stability; and
WHEREAS, the costs of public services should be stabilized,
municipalities have the responsibility to exercise care in accepting
price and wage increases initiated by private institutions; and
WHEREAS, collective bargaining has been recognized as a right of
public employees; and
WHEREAS, binding arbitration has been mandated when government
and their employees fail to agree in the process of collective bar-
gaining, thus delegating fundamental decisions regarding the kind,
extent and cost of governmental services to private and politically
unaccountable institutions; and
WHEREAS, in -a recent instance the City of Richfield has appealed
the constitutionality of a district court decision, involving the
acceptance of wage increases mandated by private unaccountable indi-
viduals arrived at in deliberations not under the scrutiny of the public,
to the Minnesota Supreme Court; and
WHEREAS, failure to contest the constitutionality of such binding
arbitration is contrary to the public interest, the goals of accountability
by government, the goals of open deliberations and the goals of price
and wage stability; therefore
BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of St. Louis Park:
1) This city supports the Supreme Court appeal of
the City of Richfield vs Local 1215 and directs
that a copy of this resolution and the minutes
of its debate be filed with the League of
Minnesota Cities.
2) The sum of $100 is hereby authorized to assist
the City of Richfield in the cost of its appeal
and that such sum be remitted to the League of
Minnesota Cities.
Adopted by the City Council Sep tuber 18, 1978
Attest:
Revi- ed for adinistration:
C ty 'a ager
y
Approved as to form and legality:
City Attorney