Metro Cities News 12/1/23

Dec

In This Issue:

Metropolitan Council Transportation Committee Approves Rider Code of Conduct

At their regular meeting on Monday evening, the Metropolitan Council’s Transportation Committee considered a proposed Metro Transit Code of Conduct. The code of conduct requires riders to pay their fare, wear clothing and shoes, and keep any animals (other than service animals) in carriers. The code of conduct prohibits several activities including harassment, phone calls, eating, soliciting, and more. This work by Metro Transit staff comes after 2023 legislation directing the Metropolitan Council to adopt a code of conduct that will be posted at each light rail station, bus rapid transit station, and transit center.

Metro Transit researched several peer transit agencies including Chicago, London, Toronto, and San Francisco in their development of this code of conduct. Staff also carried out extensive stakeholder engagement where they surveyed employees and transit customers. Enforcement of this code of conduct will be done by transit police, community service officers, TRIP agents, supplemental security, operators, and other authorized staff. Public and internal communication around the new code of conduct will take place in the first part of 2024.

Click HERE to view the business item in full, and HERE to view the staff presentation for this item. Click HERE to view the entire agenda and a recording of the Transportation Committee’s meeting, which contained 18 total items of business.

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

Local Taxes Advisory Task Force Update

The Local Taxes Advisory Task Force met on Tuesday of this week. The task force considered various items and approved the following set of principles by consensus:

Local lodging taxes should continue to require special legislation.
The ability to impose a local tax should always require voter approval.
To the extent possible the cost of administering local taxes should be borne by the local governments imposing the taxes, and not individuals, the state, or businesses.
Voters in the jurisdiction imposing the tax must approve the tax in a referendum and be provided with information on the burdens and benefits of proposed taxes and projects so they can make informed decisions on whether to impose a local sales tax.
To ensure that local sales taxes do not increase inequality between local governments, local sales tax revenues should only be used to fund projects of regional significance.
Cities and counties should have flexibility and autonomy to pursue sales taxes for criteria based regional projects in consultation with their voters without going to the legislature.
To ensure fairness, all cities and counties should have access to uniform, modern, and transparent parameters regarding sales tax authorization and criteria for projects.
To ensure equity, local sales tax policies should recognize and remedy to the extent possible, disparate burdens on socio-economic groups, and local sales tax policies should recognize cities and counties have differences in capacities to raise revenue and/or potential overburdens in providing services.

The next meeting is December 6th, at which time the task force intends to consider the life cycle of local taxes, and the development of recommendations for the Legislature. Questions? Contact Patricia Nauman at [email protected].

Metropolitan Governance Task Force Update

The Metropolitan Governance Task Force, created by the 2023 Legislature, met on Wednesday morning, with its agenda largely focused on council of governments (COG) models of regional governance (using the Denver area as an example), with a presentation by Douglas Rex, who serves as the Executive Director for the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG). DRCOG is a planning organization where counties, cities, and towns develop policy and allocate funding in the areas of transportation, development, and aging/disability resources. DRCOG serves as the designated metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the Denver region.

Following Mr. Rex, the task force heard from the Denver area’s Regional Transportation District (RTD). The RTD’s General Manager and Executive Director Debra Johnson presented information on their organization and the modes of transit they provide to the region and their relationship to DRCOG. Board members are elected on a staggered basis and can serve up to two terms. Williams answered questions related to their role as an elected member, the nature of campaigns, and the relationship between directors and RTD staff. In recent meetings, task force members and public testifiers have suggested that Metro Transit functions be separated from the Metropolitan Council.

The last agenda item for the task force was a presentation from Scott County Administrator Lezlie Vermillion on the intersection between counties and the Metropolitan Council. The governance task force will meet again next week on Wednesday, December 6 where members will continue to reflect on this week’s presentations. Click HERE to find all the task force meeting agendas and presentation materials.

MN Shared Mobility Collaborative Convening Next Week

This convening will focus on electric vehicle carshare and will take place next week on Tuesday, December 5, 2023 from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM. Gloria Huerta will discuss the program development and evolution of Miocar, a nonprofit electric vehicle carsharing program that aims to make battery-powered cars accessible to everyone. Anna Crouch will share findings and progress from HOURCAR's Multifamily Electric Vehicle Carshare Pilot Project, a program that placed new hubs with electric chargers at multifamily complexes around the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Following their presentations, Will Schroeer will lead a group discussion and audience Q&A. The webinar is free to attend, but registration is required. Once you have registered, you will receive an email confirmation with a Zoom link.