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National 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. Officers
GD Dch League Washington,D.C. President
Of 20004 Carolyn Long Banks
Counalwoman-at-Large,Atlanta,Georgia
Cities (202)626-3000
Fax:(202)626 3043 First Vice President
Gregory S.Lashutka
Mayor,Columbus,Ohio
March 23, 1995 Immediate Past President
Sharpe James
Mayor,Newark,New Jersey
Dear Mayor: Executive Director
Donald J.Borut
I am writing to report back to you on behalf of your Board of Directors representing the 135,000 municipal
elected officials of our nation's cities and towns on our NLC 1995 Action Agenda and to request your help in
achieving fair and balanced federal deficit reduction, enhancing public safety, reducing the costs of current
mandates, fixing our broken welfare system, and ensuring that cities are central hubs of any legislation to
create an information superhighway. This is a daunting agenda. Only if we work together can we achieve
meaningful change to better our respective communities. I hope I can count on your assistance.
Our leadership met last week at our Congressional City Conference to set our Action Agenda for 1995. As
leaders, we all recognize it is time for a significant change in governance and the role of the federal
government. I have enclosed for you a copy of the governance principles we adopted to guide us in seeking
to support changes to make government, at all levels, work better for those we represent. It will take a
major effort on our part to make sure our national system of governance and federal policies and programs
reflect these changes.
Future economic growth, international competitiveness, and economic security require investment in the
human and physical assets that bind our cities, and our nation, together. To achieve that growth, we
adopted, in order, the following 1995 Action Agenda. Our Action Agenda identifies major areas essential to
building a stronger future for our cities and towns:
• reducing the federal deficit and national debt;
• enhancing public safety;
• halting unfunded mandates;
• reforming our welfare system; and
• getting on the information superhighway.
Our first priority is reducing the federal deficit. The current national debt is insupportable. We need the
President and Congress to support fundamental changes to reduce federal deficits and to make government
more effective and accountable. That will not be possible unless every part of the budget is on the table to
ensure meaningful and equitable deficit reduction -- defense, entitlements, tax expenditures, and domestic
discretionary spending. There can be neither sacred cows, nor disproportionate cuts. Moreover, your Board -
- Republicans, Independents, and Democrats -- voted unanimously to oppose any tax cuts unless and until
significant deficit reduction has been achieved. Reducing the deficit must come first if we are serious about
the future of the nation. Achieving real, fair, and balanced deficit reduction will require hard choices. It will
not happen unless we are committed to push in a constructive way. Please call and write.
Past Presidents: Ferd Harrison,Mayor,Scotland Neck,North Carolina•Glenda E.Hood,Mayor,Orlando,Florida•Cathy Reynolds,Councilwoman-at-Large,Denver,Colorado•Directors:
Lucy T.Allen,Mayor, Louisburg,North Carolina•Karen Anderson,Mayor, Minnetonka,Minnesota•Clarence E.Anthony,Mayor,South Bay,Florida•Ann Azarl,Mayor, Fort Collins,
Colorado•Lock P.Beachum,Sr.,Councilman,Youngstown,Ohio•Don Benninghoven,Executive Director,League of California Cities•Lara Blakely,Councilmember,Monrovia,California•
Eddie L.Blankenship,City Council President,Birmingham,Alabama•John W.Butt,Councilmember,Chesapeake,Virginia•Carl Classen,Executive Director,Wyoming Association of
Municipalities•Larry R.Curtis,Mayor,Ames,Iowa•John Divine,Commissioner,Salina,Kansas•Alvin P.DuPont,Mayor,Tuscaloosa,Alabama•Richard J.Haas,Mayor,Trotwood,Ohio•
James C.Hunt,Councilmember,Clarksburg,West Virginia•Steven E.Jeffrey,Executive Director,Vermont League of Cities and Towns•Walter F.Kelly,Town Council President,Fishers,
Indiana•Ilene Lieberman,Mayor,Lauderhill,Florida•Sylvia L.Lovely,Executive Director,Kentucky League of Cities• Maryann Mahaffey,City Council President, Detroit,Michigan•
Christopher K.McKenzie,Executive Director,League of Kansas Municipalities•Thomas M.Menino,Mayor,Boston,Massachusetts•Will D.Minter,Mayor Pro Tem,Oak Ridge,Tennessee•
David W.Moore,Mayor,Beaumont,Texas•Thomas F.Morales,Jr.,Councilmember,Avondale,Arizona•Kathy Morris,Mayor,San Marcos,Texas•Kathryn Nack,Mayor,Pasadena,
California•James P.Nix,Mayor,Fairhope,Alabama•Michael J.Quinn,Executive Director,Indiana Association of Cities and Towns•Carolyn Ratto,Councilmember,Turlock,California•Bill
Revell,Mayor,Dyersburg,Tennessee•Alicia M.Sanchez,Council Member,Port Huron,Michigan•Alice Schlenker,Mayor,Lake Oswego,Oregon•Winston Searles,Mayor Pro Tem,Rock
Hill,South Carolina•Joseph F.Sinkiawic,Mayor,Loves Park,Illinois•Joseph A.Sweat,Executive Director,Tennessee Municipal League•Marian B.Tasco,Councilwoman,Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania•Max W.Wells,Councilmember,Dallas,Texas•Thomas L.Werth,Mayor,Rochester,Michigan•Don Zimmerman,Executive Director,Arkansas Municipal League
Recycled Paper
March 23, 1995
Page Two
Our second priority is public safety. We think the House made a good start on a more effective partnership
with local governments when it passed legislation to provide direct flexible block grants to cities and towns
for public safety. That consolidation and modification of the current law demonstrates recognition of the
leadership and responsibility of local leaders. Please contact your Senators right away to urge their support.
Our third priority is reducing mandates. We are elated with our victory on the Kempthorne mandates relief
bill the President will sign into law with us this week. The implementation of the new NLC-supported law
will be a critical step to ensure we are able to more effectively target local resources to public safety and
other local priorities. It is an important first step. Now we must move forward to address existing
mandates that affect current budgets and priorities of our citizens and taxpayers. We need to halt the
stormwater mandates. We need to fix the Safe Drinking Water Act. We need to end Davis-Bacon
requirements that hurt local projects. We must fix the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). We also need to
make sure the Senate opposes those provisions from the House rescissions bill, HR 1158, passed last week,
which would defund assistance for compliance with the federal Safe Drinking Water, asbestos removal, and
lead paint removal mandates. That action was inconsistent with S. 1. We have a solid chance to make a
difference on these mandates, but only if we redouble the kinds of efforts that produced the Kempthorne
mandate relief legislation.
Our fourth priority is reforming our welfare system. We believe the pending House bill, HR 4, would affect
local governments more than any other level of government. The bill could be one of the greatest mandates
ever imposed upon our communities. We might be left with the failure created and abdication of
responsibility by other levels of government. We oppose efforts to abdicate welfare responsibilities to the
states without a specific role for local governments.
Rather local governments need to participate as equal partners with the states and the federal government in
a fundamental transformation to provide families who receive welfare the support and services they and their
families need to move from welfare to work. Too many of our children are being left behind as we strive to
compete in a global economy. Please contact your entire delegation right away to insist upon a strong local
consultation role in any welfare reform legislation adopted by the Congress.
Our final priority for this year is getting on the information superhighway. Legislation to implement this
highway will involve millions of jobs and trillions of dollars in local economies, but few in the administration
and few in the Congress have thought about what this legislation might mean for cities and towns. It could
preempt essential city roles and responsibilities. It could have serious tax and revenue implications. In
particular, we urge your strong support for Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's public rights-of-way amendment in
the Senate. She has fought hard for us and needs our support. It is a critical component of any legislation
to serve taxpayers in cities across the nation to ensure full, public access and no local economic harm.
March 25, 1995
Page Three
This is an important time for the country as we head towards the next century. We are prepared, as an
organization, to be on the cutting edge of change. We can make constructive differences if we work
together to send a unified message to Washington, D.C.
I am grateful for your support and look forward to joining you in making hard decisions critical to our next
generations.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Long Banks
President
Councilwoman-at-Large
Atlanta, Georgia
Enclosure
NLC Statement of Principles Regarding National Governance
The leaders of our nation's cities and towns recognize it is time for a significant change in
governance and in the role of the federal government. We support fundamental changes to
reduce federal deficits and to realign government so that it is more effective and accountable.
NLC believes that a streamlined and more flexible intergovernmental system would offer
significant opportunities for cities and towns to develop more innovative and cost effective
methods of delivering programs, services, and financing infrastructure. This intergovernmental
system would also enhance public involvement and restore public confidence in government.
Any such effort must go hand-in-hand with a partnership to balance decision-making
responsibilities among local, state, and federal leaders.
Both Congress and the administration have pledged to streamline government, balance the federal
budget, and shift policy responsibilities to states, municipalities and the private sector. To be
credible, this will require program cuts, policy changes, and new block grants to fund remaining
programs. There should be sufficient transition periods that are consistent with the magnitude
of change to be achieved for local governments to adjust to new structures and avoid disrupting
services to the public. Municipal input will be irrelevant if all we offer is a plea for more federal
money and less restrictions.
To achieve these purposes, NLC supports the following principles to guide change: equity,
effective federalism, investment for the future, and efficiency.
EQUITY
Any federal program reassessment should:
• view all national programs comprehensively, exposing all spending areas, tax
expenditures, regulatory programs, credit programs and tax policies to equal scrutiny.
• consider program design as it affects the different levels of need and fiscal capacity and
constraints which exist in our very large and diverse country.
• not discriminate against any income group and should protect those who cannot protect
themselves.
• ensure that the federal government does not desert national responsibilities (for example
in the area of welfare reform) and therefore create inequities to individuals and, as a
result, disparities between local governments.
Statement of Principles - Page two
EFFECTIVE FEDERALISM
Any effective federal, state and local government partnership should:
• not impose unfunded federal mandates.
• not have the effect of converting local assistance to state control.
• not impose disproportionate responsibilities on cities and towns by reducing or
withdrawing federal involvement and leaving national problems and duties on the doorstep
of local government.
• provide federal incentives for achieving national performance outcomes: for example, the
fair share housing program.
• prohibit state program responsibilities from being satisfied by the imposition of state
mandates on local governments if the federal government relinquishes functional areas
with federal funding (for example, block grants) to states.
• relate the program structure to the level of government actually executing the program
when choosing funding and enforcement mechanisms for different programmatic areas.
• structure a program to meet the characteristics of the problem. (For example, is the
problem a regional or local one and is the program structured accordingly?)
• be cognizant of direct federal-local relationships which have been forged in different
programmatic areas and carefully consider the reasons that such partnerships were initially
created.
• not expose local governments to increased liability or unfunded mandates if federal
involvement is modified or withdrawn from a current program that involves individual
rights protected by federal statute, court ruling or the Constitution.
• invent new legally enforceable mechanisms to provide assurances that agreements will be
honored when new program structures are created in which there is an agreement trading
(1) reduced or capped funding levels for (2) greater state or local spending discretion.
Statement of Principles - Page three
EFFECTIVE FEDERALISM (continued)
• ensure that when the federal government delegates program areas to state governments,
states should be authorized to further delegate responsibility with funding to other levels
of government through the process of state-local negotiation.
• provide that if state governments are given the opportunity to decline participation in
programs, then the local governments within that state ought to be permitted to apply
directly to the federal government for funding.
• recognize that there are now, have been, and will be national problems that require federal
responses. In such instances, state and local governments should be full partners with the
federal government in the design and implementation of policies and approaches to
accomplish designated program objectives.
INVESTMENT FOR THE FUTURE
Any federal program reassessment should:
• address long term national benefits and specific goals and objectives.
• benefit the next generation rather than saddle it with new debts.
• reasonably balance the magnitude of the problem against other national needs and
problems.
EFFICIENCY
Any federal program reassessment should:
• be designed to result in performance improvements.
• recognize regional approaches to problems may be more efficient in achieving results, but
ensure control remains in local hands.
• balance the benefits of government action versus the cost of inaction.
• not modify existing programs which work efficiently and effectively in serving national
needs.
s • •
Statement of Principles - Page four
EFFICIENCY(continued)
• ensure that federal evaluations and measures incorporate common sense
oversight and monitoring approaches.
• encourage, where feasible, market-based approaches rather than command-and-control
approaches.
Adopted by the NLC Board of Directors March 11, 1995