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26 <br /> 12. Increase the State's grant funding for parks and recreation projects. <br /> Manager's comments: Current grant funding from the State is very limited ($5 <br /> Million for city and county governments in 1997). <br /> 13. Repeal the `maintenance of local effort' requirement in the State's library grant program, or <br /> clarify that local funding of a library may be reduced in a given year when the local <br /> governing board determines that there is a need to reduce non-essential services due to <br /> significant reductions in State-shared revenues, an economic downturn reducing local tax <br /> revenues or other reasons determined by the local board. Current State guidelines provide <br /> that if there is a reduction in Town funding of the Library: <br /> • State library funding is reduced proportionally if the Town's library funding reduction is <br /> part of an "equal percentage decrease in the allowed expenditures of all city or county <br /> agencies in addition to the library, excluding funding mandated by the state and federal <br /> governments." <br /> • If the Town's library funding reduction is not part of an equal percentage reduction as <br /> defined above,then"all state aid [to the library] may be suspended." <br /> Manager's comments: The current maintenance of effort policy reflects some revision <br /> by the State Library in 1996. However, we believe the present procedure of reducing <br /> State funds proportionally should be fiuther changed give municipalities more <br /> flexibility. The present standard involving an equal percentage decrease in funding <br /> Town services would be very difficult to meet. <br /> We believe that the present guideline does not recognize that a community should be <br /> able to budget for essential and non-essential services based on local priorities as <br /> determined by the policy makers elected from the community and using citizen <br /> participation processes. <br /> Zoning and development <br /> 14. Oppose any legislative proposal to treat downzoning and more stringent sign regulations as a <br /> taking of private property. <br /> wager's comments: The Council has expressed this concern in past years. <br /> Transportation <br /> 15. Authorize the Town to require transportation management plans in new (a) non-residential <br /> development with more than 20,000 square feet of floor area, and (b) housing consisting of <br /> 25 or more units in common ownership or management; with the condition that such <br /> 4 <br />