Longmont City Council Supports Local Minimum Wage Bill and Three Other 2019 Legislative Bills

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Longmont City Council adopted City Staff’s recommended positions on three of four legislative bills brought before them on Tuesday night.

The three bills that council unanimously supported were: HB19-1228 Increase Tax Credit Allocation Affordable Housing, HB-1239 Census Outreach Grant Program, and SB19-192 Front Range Waste Diversion Enterprise Grant Program. Bill HB19-1210 which deals with Local Government Minimum Wage, was also supported by the council by a vote of 5-2.

Bill HB19-1228 aligns with the current City Council Work Plan by generally helping to provide more affordable housing. The Colorado housing and finance authority, from now until 2024, can annually allocate up to $5 million in tax credits under the current affordable housing tax credit plan. This bill would increase that annual cap to $10 million annually until 2024, and it would help alleviate the pressure felt in the currently over-subscribed Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program.

Bill HB119-1239 creates within the department of local affairs a 2020 census outreach grant program. This program would provide grants for local governments, intergovernmental agencies, councils of government, housing authorities, school districts, and non-profit organizations to help them provide the most accurate head-count of Colorado they possibly can.

Legislative Bill SB19-192 deals with the Front Range Waste Diversion Enterprise Grant Program. This bill would create a program that will collect user fees on each load of waste at any front range landfill. From January 1st, 2020 to December 31st, 2020, the user fee would be 15 cents per cubic yard. Every year, the fee would increase another 15 cents until the fee is capped at 60 cents per cubic yard in 2023. Those fees would be credited to the front range waste diversion cash fund, which would financially support front range waste diversion grant program. This bill supports the waste goals Council listed in their Sustainability Plan.

City Staff did not have a recommendation for the position of council on bill HB19-1210 Local Government Minimum Wage. Basically, the bill would allow local governments to enact laws establishing minimum wages, giving local governments more control over their own economies.

“In some ways, I consider this to be something that looks at right-sizing policy instead of one-size-fits-all policy that you know a lot of folks, especially in the more rural areas, worry comes from Denver,” said Council Member Aren Rodriguez.

Council voted 5-2 in support of the bill, with Mayor Brian Bagley and Council Member Bonnie Finley in opposition.