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04-18-16-WS
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04-18-16-WS
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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />March 22, 2016 <br /> <br /> <br />Dear Councilmember, <br /> <br />We are part of a coalition of County and City leaders from the suburban metropolitan area <br />who have become increasingly concerned with a lack of accountability from the <br />Metropolitan Council, especially as its scope of authority and involvement in regional <br />issues continue to expand. It is our belief that an updated Metropolitan Council <br />governance structure, one that makes the Council accountable to the regional <br />constituency of those impacted by its decisions, would benefit this region greatly. <br /> <br />On February 8 of this year we sent out the attached principles for Metropolitan Council <br />reform to every city and county in the metropolitan area, asking them to adopt the <br />principles in the form of the attached template resolution (a list of adoptees is attached). <br />We are sending them again today to ensure that every interested local elected official has <br />an opportunity to participate in this initiative. <br /> <br />We ask that you adopt the attached resolution calling for substantive change to th e <br />Council to increase local participation and collaboration to help guide orderly growth and <br />economic development in our region. <br /> <br />Structure Limits Local Representation <br />Metropolitan Council members are non-elected individuals answerable only to the <br />Governor, an office that has often been elected without majority support from <br />metropolitan-area voters. Thus, non-elected individuals preside over a budget of more <br />than $1.5 billion per year (more than the budget of the City of Minneapolis), and collect <br />over $80 million in property taxes. We believe an organization with this kind of taxing and <br />spending authority should be answerable to the citizens and taxpayers of the area it <br />represents rather than a single officeholder and should feature strong city and county <br />representation. This call for reform echoes the 2011 conclusion of the nonpartisan Office <br />of the Legislative Auditor. In the evaluation report Governance of Transit in the Twin Cities <br />Region, Legislative Auditor Nobles recommended a Council with a mix of gubernatorial <br />appointees and elected officials from the region. <br /> <br />Substantial Changes In Role of Council Since 1967 <br />The Metropolitan Council was established in 1967 to provide regional planning services for <br />the Twin Cities area. However, at the same time the Council’s management of growth, in <br />particular its coordination of regional services, has changed dramatically. The Council’s <br />scope has increased, but not its level of accountability to the local governments a nd <br />citizens of the metropolitan area. Without the authority to appoint Council members, m any <br />citizens and local government officials feel disconnected from the present Metropolitan <br />Council, undermining its credibility and preventing it from functioning as an effective <br />regional governance body.
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