In This Issue:
- Join Us! LMC Metro Regional Meeting and Metro Cities Policy Adoption Meeting
- 2020 Draft Legislative Policies
- Walz Announces Governor Bonding Tour; Solicits Project Feedback
- Metropolitan Council Accepting Comment on Regional Solicitation Application
- EVENTS: Metropolitan Council Regional Solicitation: Intersecting Transportation, Equity and Housing
Join Us! LMC Metro Regional Meeting and Metro Cities Policy Adoption Meeting
Join your colleagues for the LMC Metro Regional Meeting and Policy Adoption Meeting on Thursday, November 14, 2019 in Minnetonka! The metro regional meeting is jointly hosted by LMC and Metro Cities, and Metro Cities membership will also meet to approve the 2020 Legislative Policies. The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Minneapolis West in Minnetonka. Several state agency commissioners will join us to present information and updates at the regional meeting. The afternoon concludes with a networking social hour.
A membership quorum is required for the adoption of Metro Cities’ policies, so each member city should make sure to have a representative present. Click here for more information and to register. We look forward to seeing you there!
2020 Draft Legislative Policies
Metro Cities’ Draft 2020 Legislative Policies are now online for review. The draft policies were recommended by members through Metro Cities’ four policy committees and were approved by the Metro Cities Board of Directors at their October meeting.
A memo, link to the draft policies and Metro Cities’ policy adoption protocol has been mailed to city administrators/managers. The policies will be adopted by Metro Cities’ membership at the Policy Adoption Meeting on Thursday, November 14, 2019. Please be sure to mark your calendar and plan to attend! Click here to read the agenda and register.
Each member city has one vote, with one additional vote for each 50,000 population above the initial 50,000. Once the policies are adopted, they will serve as the framework for Metro Cities’ work at the Legislature and Metropolitan Council in 2020.
We hope to see you at the meeting! Comments or questions on the proposed policies should be directed to [email protected] or 651-215-4000.
Walz Announces Governor Bonding Tour; Solicits Project Feedback
Governor Tim Walz announced Wednesday he will begin his own statewide bonding tour later this year. Legislators traditionally have traversed the state during the interim between legislative sessions, touring proposed projects that have been submitted to the state through Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB), the state’s finance agency. This year, House and Senate bonding committee members have toured projects in advance of the 2020 legislative session. $5.3 billion in projects were submitted to the state this year. State agencies requested $4 billion of that total and local governments submitted more than 200 requests totaling $1.3 billion.
In his announcement, Governor Walz said he and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan will tour projects as well as tout the benefits of a state bonding package. The governor also announced a page on the MMB website that lists all the bonding requests submitted by local governments and allow citizens to post comments on those projects.
Metro Cities supports $10 million to assist cities in the metropolitan region to mitigate inflow and infiltration problems in municipal wastewater collections systems. That project is included in the list of local government projects.
Metro Cities will provide updates on the executive bonding tour as more information becomes available.
Metropolitan Council Accepting Comment on Regional Solicitation Application
The Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) approved a draft document with recommended changes to the Regional Solicitation application process at its meeting last month and released the application document for public comment. The Regional Solicitation is the method by which federal transportation dollars from the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program and Congestion Mitigation Air Quality program are allocated within the metropolitan area. Funding is distributed among roadway, transit and travel demand management, and bicycle and pedestrian projects. A total of $199.75 million for various projects was approved in the last solicitation. For more information on the draft application, click here.
The Metropolitan Council will accept comments on the draft application until 5:00 pm, November 6th. The final application will be released in February 2020. To view the recommended application changes, click here. Comments can be submitted via the following:
• Email [email protected]
• Record a message at 651.602.1500, TTY: 651.221.9886
• Mail comments to 390 Robert Street North, St. Paul, MN 55101-1805
Questions? Contact Steven Huser at [email protected], or 651-215-4003.
EVENTS: Metropolitan Council Regional Solicitation: Intersecting Transportation, Equity and Housing
The Metropolitan Council has scheduled two opportunities for communities to learn about the Regional Solicitation equity and affordable housing criteria and scoring measures. The Draft Regional Solicitation application is currently out for public comment. The Council has provided the information below on these events.
Register for Intersecting Transportation, Equity and Housing and learn about recent changes to the Regional Solicitation’s equity and affordable housing criteria and scoring measures.
In this session, we will explore how community engagement approaches can help you connect with hard to reach populations. You’ll learn how to:
- Hear and identify transportation issues and problems specific to people’s experience
- Identify potential solutions and benefits
- Build on existing community engagement strategies
- Understand new scoring criteria and measures
- Gain tangible skills and resources for your selected regional solicitation project or identify a new project that will be a good fit.
Space is limited. Register by October 28 for Intersecting Transportation, Equity and Housing on either:
- Friday, November 1, 2019, 9 to 11:30 am: The Columbia Heights Library, 3939 Central Avenue, Columbia Heights
- Friday, November 15, 2019, 9 to 11:30 am: Northwest Area Foundation, 60 Plato Blvd. E., Suite 400, St. Paul
Coffee and light refreshments will be provided.
For more information from the Metropolitan Council on these workshops, click here.