In This Issue:
- Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) Openings - Deadline TODAY
- November State Budget and Economic Forecast Released
- TAC Recommends Release of Regional Solicitation
- Metropolitan Council Tool Tracks Suburban Changes
Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) Openings – Deadline TODAY
As previously posted, Metro Cities is seeking candidates for the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB), and the deadline for application is today, Friday, December 6, 2019. Interested candidates should submit (1) a completed questionnaire, (2) a letter of interest and (3) resume to Kim Ciarrocchi at [email protected].
The TAB qualifies the region for federal transportation funds and is a participant in the 3C transportation processes that affect transportation planning and funding in the metro region. Municipal appointees must be elected officials, and Metro Cities’ guidelines place a priority on making the TAB balanced for city size and geography. There are no term limits for TAB seats, but members are reappointed every two years and must meet attendance requirements to qualify for reappointment. The guidelines used by the Board in making appointments also give preference to those who agree to serve on the Metro Cities Transportation Policy Committee.
November State Budget and Economic Forecast Released
The office of Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) on Thursday released the state’s November budget and economic forecast. The forecast projects a $1.3 billion surplus for the current FY 2020-21 biennium and a $1.9 billion surplus for FY 2022-23.
Overall, income and sales tax projections were higher than anticipated while corporate tax collections were lower than projected. On the spending side, officials noted that education spending was lower than expected due to decreased pupil growth, property tax aids and credits spending (largely homestead property tax refund and interest payments) had increased, and health and human services spending was below what was estimated.
The state’s budget reserve policy requires 33% of any forecasted surplus to be allocated to the reserve until the reserve reaches a cap of 4.9% of general fund revenues. With this forecast, the state’s budget reserve target is met for FY 2020-21. In FY 2022, a law passed by the 2019 Legislature requires the reserve to be reduced by $491.4 million, a law change made to ensure budgetary balance for FY 2022-23. As a result, the budget reserve is currently at $2.358 billion (the level of the cap) for FY 2020-21 but will decline to $1.867 billion beginning in FY 2022.
During the forecast briefing on Thursday, state officials noted that the state is experiencing its longest growth period in history, and stressed caution due to uncertainties with trade policy, a slowdown in business investment and a tight labor market. State officials did note that consumer spending is stronger than anticipated, which offsets the lower than anticipated growth in business investments.
State officials also released a debt capacity forecast that states that the maximum amount of tax supported debt that could be sold for a capital investment bill would be an additional $3.4 billion of general fund debt.
Below are links to the forecast report, power point presentation and debt capacity forecast:
https://mn.gov/mmb-stat/000/az/forecast/2019/budget-and-economic-forecast/nov19-final-report.pdf
https://mn.gov/mmb-stat/000/az/forecast/2019/budget-and-economic-forecast/nov19-final-presentation.pdf
https://mn.gov/mmb-stat/000/az/forecast/2019/budget-and-economic-forecast/debt-capacity-forecast.pdf
TAC Recommends Release of Regional Solicitation
The Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) has accepted public comments to the 2020 Regional Solicitation and recommends its release. 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 metro area. The funding is distributed among roadway, transit and travel demand management, and bicycle and pedestrian projects.
As part of its recommendation to release the solicitation, the TAC recommended that the maximum award for a bike/pedestrian project be set at $5.5 million and that a $10 million target for bridge projects be set. To view the public comment report, click here. The power point presentation can be viewed here. To view the draft Regional Solicitation Application, click here.
These recommendations will next be considered by the TAB at their December 18th meeting. If the Regional Solicitation is approved, it will be forwarded to the Metropolitan Council for approval.
Questions? Please contact Steve Huser at 651-215-4003, or [email protected].
Metropolitan Council Tool Tracks Suburban Changes
The Metropolitan Council is developing a tool and website that tracks how suburban cities in the metropolitan region are changing. The data collected for the tool include demographics, age of housing stock, and the built environment. The data is compared via census tract and comes from data collected in 2000, 2010 and 2017.
Council staff have provided updates on the project to the Land Use Advisory Committee as well as several meetings comprised of city and county officials as well as private developers. The website remains under development and will be launched publicly early 2020. The Council aims to track transitions within communities over time as well as provide detailed information for cities to share with other cities.
The three traits that drive change are broken down into several smaller categories. Under demographic change, the Council is tracking: share of people of color, share of people age 65 years old and older, share of people age 18 or younger, and median household income. Under housing market change, the Council is tracking: median home values, median gross rent and share of renters. Under the built environment category, the Council is tracking share of recently built housing stock.
Council staff analyzed these traits across the region's census tracts and developed seven community types across which suburban cities are divided. Cities can find regional maps and community type information on the Council staff slideshow presentation to LUAC.
Contact Charlie Vander Aarde at 651-215-4001 or [email protected] with any questions.