Metro Cities News 10/13/23

Oct

In This Issue:

State Revenues $400 Million Above Forecast

The State Office of MN Management and Budget (MMB) released its October Revenue and Economic Update this week, which shows that net general fund receipts for the first quarter of FY 2024 are estimated to total $6.38 billion, or $400 million above what was forecast in the February 2023 Budget and Economic Forecast. Receipts exceed projections in all major tax types. The report also stated that net general fund receipts for FY 2023 are not estimated to total $630 million above what was anticipated in the February 2023 budget forecast. For additional information click HERE.

Metropolitan Governance Task Force Update

The Metropolitan Governance Task Force, created by the 2023 Legislature, met on Wednesday morning. The task force discussed dates for a series of public engagement meetings, and also heard presentations from MnDOT and other speakers on Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs). The Metropolitan Council is designated as an MPO. MPOs require agreement among various governmental units. Redesignation of an MPO is required with any significant representational changes or changes in responsibilities of the MPO. Speakers also discussed the history of MPOs and the responsibilities of the Metropolitan Council beyond its MPO function. The task force also discussed the Council’s transit budget.

Transit Rider Investment Program Policy

The Metropolitan Council acted on Wednesday to comply with the recently enacted legislation designed to improve safety on transit throughout the region. The Transit Rider Investment Program (TRIP) will deploy personnel to educate and assist riders, improve the transit experience, perform fare inspections, and issue administrative citations for things like fare evasion. Administrative citation authority is something the Metropolitan Council has been asking of the legislature for several years. The policy adopted by the Council this week outlines the purpose and scope of the Transit Rider Investment Program, identifies what Metro Transit will be responsible for in implementing the program, and commits to producing a comprehensive annual report on TRIP activities for the legislature, beginning in 2024. Click HERE to view the Transit Rider Investment Program Policy.

Contact Mike Lund at [email protected] or 651-215-4003 with any questions.

Met Council Transportation Committee Adopts 2024 UPWP

The Metropolitan Council’s Transportation Committee this week adopted the 2024 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) with a total budget of $7,332,756. The Metropolitan Council is required to submit their annual UPWP to the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) to access Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration planning funds. The UPWP describes budgeted expenditures, funding sources, and allocation of staff resources for regional transportation planning activities. $5.6 million of the over $7 million in planning activities included in the UPWP are expected to be funded with federal dollars.

The planning activities included in the UPWP are organized into six categories.

Planning and Programming Process
Modal System Planning
Long Range System Planning
Travel Forecasting and Model Development
Short Range Planning and Performance Monitoring
Non-CPG (Locally Funded) Planning Activities

New studies for 2024 include:

Regional Sidewalk Dataset
Public Transit and Human Services Transportation Coordinated Plan Update
Microtransit Policy Framework
TPP Goal Topic Workshops
Evaluation of Forecast Accuracy and Robustness

Click HERE to view the presentation materials associated with this item. The slides provide more detail on planning studies currently underway as well as some of the work that will begin in 2024. Click HERE to view the 2024 Transportation Unified Planning Work Program. This item is anticipated to be before the full Metropolitan Council on Wednesday, October 25th.