In This Issue:
- Metro Cities Temporary Email Interruption
- Seeking Applicants for Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Opening
- TNC Committee Holds Third Meeting
- Local Sales Tax Task Force Holds Third Meeting
- Metropolitan Governance Task Force Holds Second Meeting
- Metropolitan Council Releases Regional Solicitation and Highway Safety Improvement Program
- Safe Routes to School Funding Announcement
- 2023 Brownfields Conference
Metro Cities Temporary Email Interruption
Metro Cities will be updating its software this Friday, September 15th. The process will begin Friday morning and likely conclude late afternoon. During this update, staff will not have access to email, and any incoming email to Metro Cities may receive a reply that the recipient’s address is not valid. If you receive this email, it is an error due to the software update. We thank you for your patience and understanding and will respond to emails once the update is complete.
Seeking Applicants for Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Opening
Metro Cities is seeking interested applicants for an opening on the Metropolitan Council’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) that advises the TAB. Appointees must be department head level staff with an engineering, planning or public works background. Metro Cities’ guidelines place priority on making the TAC balanced with respect to city size and geography. The Board also gives preference to those who agree to serve on Metro Cities’ Transportation Policy Committee.
The deadline to apply is Friday, September 29th. Interested candidates for the TAC should submit a letter of interest and resume to Jennifer Dorn at [email protected]. Please contact Patricia Nauman at [email protected], or Mike Lund, at [email protected] with any questions.
TNC Committee Holds Third Meeting
The Governor’s Committee on the Compensation, Wellbeing, and Fair Treatment of Transportation Network Company (TNC) Drivers held its third meeting on September 7th. The Committee, created by Executive Order 23-07 is tasked with analyzing the working conditions of TNC drivers and is required to provide recommendations for state policy and legislative changes related to driver compensation and fair treatment of drivers. These recommendations are due by January 1, 2024. The committee has 15 members, one of which represents the interests of cities.
Uber and Lyft were given time at the meeting to provide background information on their respective companies, applications, and driver policies. Both presentations outlined processes that prospective drivers go through to become drivers for either platform. They also shared how the process of accepting and completing rides works from the driver’s point of view. Both companies suggested that Minnesota was an outlier because it does not have statewide regulation over TNC companies and both voiced support for an earnings floor for drivers, pay transparency measures, protections against wrongful deactivations for drivers, and a guarantee for driver independence and flexibility. Click HERE to view the webpage for this committee. Click HERE to view the Uber presentations slides and HERE to view the Lyft presentation slides.
Contact Mike Lund at [email protected] or 651-215-4003 with any questions.
Local Sales Tax Task Force Holds Third Meeting
The Local Sales Tax Task Force held its third meeting on Wednesday, beginning with a presentation by Department of Revenue (DOR) staff that showed, by map, where local taxes are currently imposed. Members requested information on what authorized local taxes pay for. Discussion by members included questions on how taxes must be reported by businesses. DOR staff discussed the Department’s Tax Incidence Study, and that roughly one third of sales taxes are exported outside Minnesota. Staff also discussed differences among jurisdictions in what is taxed and who pays the tax. Currently 72 cities are authorized to impose a local sales tax. Members further discussed how to evaluate potential general evaluation criteria for local sales taxes as well as food and beverage, and lodging taxes. Members also noted the need for a common language and clarity for criteria and terms. The next meeting will be held September 27th and will include testimony from business owners. Questions? Contact Patricia Nauman at [email protected].
Metropolitan Governance Task Force Holds Second Meeting
The Metropolitan Governance Task Force held its second meeting on Wednesday morning. The task force, created by the 2023 Legislature, is tasked with making recommendations for the governance of the Metropolitan Council. Edina Mayor James Hovland was appointed by the Metro Cities Board, per the 2023 law establishing the task force, to serve on the task force.
The meeting included presentations on the history and operations of the Metropolitan Council, as well as a presentation by the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) on their 2011 report that examined transit governance, but concluded with overall governance recommendations. The Citizens League presented their recent study of the Metropolitan Council and recommendations for governance, which largely align with Metro Cities’ legislative policies on the governance of the Metropolitan Council. The committee will hear a presentation on the Governor’s 2021 Blue Ribbon Commission that examined regional governance, at their next meeting.
Some members noted that much of the focus on governance tends to be related to transit concerns, but that the Council’s operations and functions are broader, and discussion should consider the Council’s other authorities and scope of operations.
Members discussed possible plans for public engagement that may include opportunities for public testimony at meetings of the task force as well as other additional meetings in local communities. The next meeting of the task force will be held on September 27. Questions? Contact Patricia Nauman at [email protected].
Metropolitan Council Releases Regional Solicitation and Highway Safety Improvement Program
The Metropolitan Council voted to release both the 2024 Regional Solicitation and the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) at their meeting on Wednesday September 13th. The 2024 Regional Solicitation will be funded with about $250 million. Local project sponsors must provide a minimum 20% match for these federal funds. One of the biggest changes for this round of the regional solicitation is a focus on safety, with safety being the highest-valued criterion in most application categories. The Regional Solicitation is anticipated to be released in late September, with applications due by mid-December, and project selection coming in the Summer of 2024. The 2024 HSIP will be funded with about $42 million. HSIP requires at least a 10% local match. Click HERE to view the Regional Solicitation application, HERE to view the Regional Solicitation public comment report, and HERE for more detailed information on the Highway Safety Improvement Program. Click HERE for a recording of Wednesday’s Metropolitan Council meeting.
Contact Mike Lund at [email protected] or 651-215-4003 with any questions.
Safe Routes to School Funding Announcement
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs are designed to improve safety, reduce traffic, and improve air quality near schools. This program is structured around the 6 E’s (Evaluation, Education, Encouragement, Equity, Engagement, and Engineering). Eligible improvements include crossing improvements, trails, paths, ramps, bike lanes, traffic control devices, curb replacements, and other in-kind replacements. The Minnesota Dept. of Transportation has announced that $10.9 million has been made available for this program with no local match requirement. Cities are eligible for this funding. MnDOT is hosting three informational webinars on this grant opportunity. The next webinar takes place on September 20th at 10:30 AM. Click HERE for more information on Safe Routes to School. The solicitation for this grant opportunity opens on October 9, 2023. The deadline for applications is February 2, 2024.
Contact Mike Lund at [email protected] or 651-215-4003 with any questions.
2023 Brownfields Conference
In October, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) will be hosting a brownfield and redevelopment conference focusing on a variety of redevelopment topics. This is the first time this conference is being held in the metropolitan area.
The conference takes place Thursday, October 26th to Friday, October 27th at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Bloomington, hosted by DEED. To learn more and sign up for the conference, click HERE. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ania McDonnell at [email protected] or 218-213-8601.