In This Issue:
- Governor and Legislative Leaders Announce Special Session Agreement
- Met Council Committee Adopts Funding for Pre-Development Program
- 2025 Metro Cities Policy Committees
Governor and Legislative Leaders Announce Special Session Agreement
The Governor and legislative leaders on Friday morning announced an agreement for a special session to be called for Monday, June 9th at 10:00 am. The session is to be a one-day special session that concludes by 7:00 am Tuesday morning. The agreement outlines what bills will be taken up during the session. These bills include appropriations bills across spending areas, as well as a taxes and capital investment bill. View the agreement HERE.
A transportation working group will meet this afternoon. No other working groups are scheduled at this point, and there are no further session details. Metro Cities will provide further updates as they are available. Questions? Contact Patricia Nauman at 651-215-4002 or [email protected].
Met Council Committee Adopts Funding for Pre-Development Program
On Monday, the Metropolitan Council’s Community Development Committee (CDC) approved funding recommendations for the first round 2025 Livable Communities Act (LCA) Pre-Development Grant Program. The Pre-Development Grant Program provides funding for eligible costs for pre-development activities that meet Imagine 2050 goals including design workshops, financial studies, project impact analyses, and community engagement. No match is required. The Community Development Committee approved funding for five grants to the cities of St Paul, Bloomington, and Hopkins. View a PowerPoint presentation HERE of awarded projects.
Additionally, the committee heard a presentation on updates to the Council’s Policy Development Program. The Council has expanded this program for the second round to add program and partnership development eligibility to the program. The expanded grant program will offer up to $800,000 and to allow all cities consistent with comprehensive plan requirements to apply. Cities not currently enrolled in the Livable Communities Act program must enroll if they are awarded funds. Overall program goals are to support cities in developing locally adopted policies, programs, or partnerships that influence the physical environment and further both Livable Communities Act (LCA) and Imagine 2050 goals, with a focus on equitable development. The Council is accepting applications, with applications due on July 21, 2025. Learn more about the program HERE.
Contact Ania McDonnell at [email protected] with any questions.
2025 Metro Cities Policy Committees
Metro Cities 2025 policy committee process begins in July. Participation is open to member city elected officials and staff. Committee descriptions and dates are on the website. Please be sure to sign up for the committee(s) you wish to attend. This will help us keep rosters accurate. We look forward to seeing you this summer!