In This Issue:
- Third Round of Policy Committees Next Week
- Metropolitan Council Transportation Committee Approves TIP
- TAB Approves ABRT Delay, Receives Regional Solicitation Update
Third Round of Policy Committees Next Week
Metro Cities’ four legislative policy committees will hold third and final meetings for 2020 next week. All committees will host speakers. The Transportation and General Government Committee will hear from MnDOT representatives on new bridge ownership, maintenance and cost guidance. The Municipal Revenues Committee will hear from the National League of Cities on the status of federal COVD-19 assistance. The Metropolitan Agencies Committee will hear from Metropolitan Council representatives on the Governor’s recently formed Blue Ribbon Committee on the Structure and Operations of the Metropolitan Council, and the Housing and Economic Development Committee will hear from city staff in the cities of Roseville and Edina on innovative economic development and redevelopment work occurring in their cities.
Packets were emailed to committee members earlier this week. For more information, contact Jennifer Dorn at [email protected]
Metropolitan Council Transportation Committee Approves TIP
The Metropolitan Council Transportation Committee this week approved the 2021-24 Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). By federal regulation, the TIP must be developed at least every four years. The Metropolitan Council revises its TIP every year in conjunction with the MN Department of Transportation’s State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). Federal law requires all transportation projects that will be partially funded with federal funds to be in an approved Transportation Improvement Program and meet the following tests: fiscal constraint, consistency with the adopted regional transportation plan (TPP), air quality conformity and opportunity for public input. Projects included in the TIP total $4.6 billion.
The committee was presented with public comments on the TIP. Staff noted that they received a higher than usual number of comments. Staff explained that many comments related to climate change, social justice policy and project selection have informed adjustments to the Transportation Policy Plan (TPP). To view the final 2021-2024 TIP, click here.
TAB Approves ABRT Delay, Receives Regional Solicitation Update
The Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) this week voted to recommend that the selection of an Arterial Bus Rapid Transit (ABRT) project as part of the Regional Solicitation be delayed from December 2020 to April 2021 and be funded up to $25 million. This recommendation is due to the effects of the pandemic to conduct a public engagement process. The route to be selected will become the F Line. The ABRT program was created in the last Regional Solicitation and is intended to fully fund an ABRT project in the current Solicitation, which included the creation of a public outreach strategy and timeline. For more information, click here.
Staff also presented a Regional Solicitation update to the TAB. Staff informed the board that scores are complete. Members were also presented with proposed funding scenarios by staff. TAB will consider funding scenarios based on final project scoring at their October meeting.