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2009
Legislative Issues
Wastewater Treatment
Action: Continue and expand funding for communities to meet EPA/DNR standards. Revisit minimum water rate eligibility criteria to allow hardship exceptions and gradual implementation.
Regional Water Partnership Project
Action: Continue support for the development of water access throughout NWMO. Possible actions to consider are exemptions on taxes for construction materials associated with the project or the possibility of additional grant funds to help develop the infrastructure.
Senate Bill 711
Action: Mirror the Missouri Municipal League’s stance on the issue.
The Statute that was signed into law in 2008 has implications on local governments and their ability to stack locally approved taxes such as capital improvement or general sales taxes. The law also has property tax implications on counties bearing the expenses of an estimated tax bill.
Phone Classification / 911 Funding
Action: Support the House’s 2007 Interim Committee’s Report on 9-1-1. This includes support of an on-going revenue source utilizing a recovery fee from wired lines, wireless telephones, Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) and any other device that may call Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP); update the State’s definition of technology as it relates to 9-1-1 communication, as well as statewide informational campaign to garner support for a statewide referendum.
Currently the law reads that a tax shall be charged on a “phone” and the technical classification of a cell phone is a “communication device” The legislature needs to more accurately define the language in the statute to include cell phones and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) as the increasing use of these technologies will maintain the same burden on the 911 system but will reduce funding of these systems as consumers drop land lines.
Additionally
As a region, Northwest Missouri supports the continued work of the Rural High Speed Internet Task Force to improve rural access to broadband internet. Special attention is needed throughout rural areas to address lack of consistent access to broadband internet capability. The broadband infrastructure of rural Missouri is critical to develop efficiencies and improve the effectiveness of Missouri’s health care, education, and economic development systems.
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