About Policy Committees

Participate in the League's policy committees, and join your city colleagues for great discussion about municipal legislative issues. The League usually has more than 150 city officials participate each year in the four policy committees, which set the legislative policy for the League’s lobbying efforts.

If you'd like to participate in one or more of our four policy committees next summer and fall, please contact Heather Cederholm or Laura Ziegler (see right).

Here are answers to some common questions about participating in policy committees:

Who can be on a policy committee?
Current city officials and staff are eligible, including city councilmembers, mayors, city administrators, assistant city administrators, clerks, human resource staff, municipal election officials, public safety staff, engineers, finance directors, economic development staff, and others. Committee members can be new to their city position, have many years of experience, or be somewhere in between.

What typically happens during the three policy committee meetings?
At the first meeting in July, members hear a briefing of the previous legislative session from LMC staff, network with one another by sharing issues of interest that are related to the committee, and begin to look at policies to edit, delete, or add. At the second meeting in August, members usually hear from guest speakers from state agencies, interest groups, legislators, and other local officials to learn more about a specific issue of interest to the group. During the third meeting in September, members continue their work discussing edits on existing or new policies and vote to approve the policies.

What happens after the third policy committee meeting?
The League’s Board of Directors hear about the work of each policy committee during a fall meeting, typically in October. Then, the draft policies are open for comment by all League members. Member comments are compiled in early November, final revisions are made, and then the LMC Board adopts the policies. During the next legislative session, the League’s intergovernmental relations staff use the policies to guide their legislative efforts at the Capitol.

Can more than one person from each city serve on a committee?
We welcome all councilmembers, mayors, and staff to serve on committees that are of the greatest interest to them. If more than one person from the same city attends a policy committee meeting where voting occurs (typically this occurs at the third meeting), only one vote per city will be recorded. However, discussion and input from all members who attend are welcome at each meeting.

What are the four committees?

Where are policy committee meetings held?
All committee meetings are held at the League building, 145 University Ave. W, in St. Paul, in the St. Croix Room.

What if I can’t attend each meeting?
We offer a conference call-in option for all meetings. Many members choose this option to remain involved in committee discussions even when they can’t make it to St. Paul.

What topics does each committee address?
The topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Improving Service Delivery: unfunded mandates, environmental mandates, elections, charter law, data privacy, government innovation and cooperation, and public safety.
  • Improving Local Economies: growth management, land use, boundary adjustments, housing, transportation, economic development, and telecommunications.
  • Improving Fiscal Futures: municipal financial management, property and other taxes, state aid programs, and financial reporting requirements.
  • Human Resources & Data Practices: employment law, labor relations, data practices, Open Meeting Law, personnel, and pensions.