Maine Gov. Moves to End Refugee Resettlement; L.A. Moves on Its 2024 Olympic Bid
Maine Gov. Paul LePage
Connecting state and local government leaders
Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: Mass. governor Lays out proposed budget; jurisdictional squabble over snow removal in Boise; and RFID chips spark privacy concerns in Memphis.
REFUGEES | Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s administration is moving to end the state’s involvement in refugee resettlement by March 4. Refugees could still move to Maine after that time, but the state would not play a role in their resettlement. [Bangor Daily News]
Meanwhile, in Rutland, Vermont, Mayor Christopher Louras said Wednesday that expected action by President Trump to curb the entry of refugees into the U.S. would likely mean that “our community’s first two Syrian neighbors will be our last.” A local controversy unfolded last year in Rutland over whether the city should become a refugee resettlement site. Rutland had planned to host 100 Syrian and Iraqi refugees this year. But Louras said a substantial reduction in the overall number of refugees coming to the U.S. “will ultimately result in the termination of Rutland as a refugee resettlement site.” [Rutland Herald]
And at the state level in Vermont, Attorney General T.J. Donovan, a Democrat, announced Wednesday that he has formed a task force on issues related to refugee resettlement and immigration. “We need to do our homework on this before we make promises, before we comment and give people a false sense of security about what may or may not happen,” he said. “Let’s get the facts and let’s figure out what role we have in an area that is mostly federal jurisdiction.” [Associated Press via Burlington Free Press]
STATE BUDGETS | Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has proposed a $40.5 billion state budget that includes $1.5 billion in new spending on local aid, health care and public education. The Republican governor is looking to tax short-term rentals like Airbnb and boost workforce development spending by $200 million. [WWLP-TV]
INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS | An Idaho lawmaker believes a Boise city law that requires property owners to clear snow from sidewalks could be in conflict with state law. There’s a question over whether highway districts are in fact responsible for clearing away snow on sidewalks along the rights-of-way they maintain. State Rep. John Gannon recently asked the Idaho Attorney General’s Office for an opinion on the matter. [Idaho Statesman]
CITY HALLS | Nashville Mayor Megan Barry is planning to propose a public-private partnership to build a professional soccer stadium as part of bid to secure a Major League Soccer franchise in Tennessee’s capital city. [The Tennessean]
Allentown, Pennsylvania, Mayor Ed Pawlowski delivered his State of the City address on Thursday amid ongoing suspicions that he is “Public Official No. 3” in a federal investigation into a pay-to-play scheme. Pawlowski has not been charged with a crime, but there have been a handful of guilty pleas from now-former Allentown officials that have stemmed from a July 2015 raid on city hall. [The Express-Times]
OLYMPICS | Los Angeles City Council wants to bring the Olympics back to the U.S. in 2024, approving the bid and agreeing to cover the difference should it run over budget. [Los Angeles Times]
PRIVACY | Waste managers in Memphis have deployed passive RFID chips in city-owned garbage cans which has sparked privacy concerns among residents who didn’t know they were there. The RFID chips are not activated though waste managers are looking at ways to how to collect data down the road to improve service. [WHBQ-TV]
PETS | Davidson County, North Carolina commissioners are considering mandating that dog and cat owners have their pets spayed or neutered. The goal is to reduce the county’s euthanasia rate, which say 2,500 pets put down last year. “Regulation puts a crimp on everybody. Nobody really likes to be told what you can and can't do,” said one hunting dog owner. “I am not standing in opposition to it and I am in agreement with the general goal but I'm saying ‘no further.’ This is the limit of the infringement on how I care for my legal personal property.” [WFMY]
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