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2 positions. We had hoped to work together toward reform, and we hope to work together in the future if the position of the organization changes. However, in the meantime we are aware that many cities hold positions on Metropolitan Council reform that also contradict the official Metro Cities position, and we believe that these cities, along with counties, should have their voices heard in the Legislature. 4) What are the next steps? These draft principles have been distributed to every city and county in the metropolitan area, and we hope as many as possible adopt these principles. We are eager to discuss the principles, along with our reasons for advocating reform, with any County Board or City Council in the area. During the Legislative Session we will present these adopted resolutions to Legislators to illustrate how important reform is to local governments in the metro area, and we will work with Legislators to advance reform proposals that meet the adopted principles. 5) How do other metropolitan areas provide regional planning? Every other major metropolitan area in the United States, as well as every other metropolitan area in Minnesota, has a metropolitan planning organization that is made up of a majority of local elected officials (Attachment B). The Metropolitan Council does have a more expansive role than planning organizations in other metropolitan areas, and is involved in a wider array of metropolitan service operations. However, we believe this is an even stronger reason why elected officials should serve. The Council has more responsibility than other metropolitan planning organizations- it stands to reason that it should have more accountability to the electorate, not less. 6) Is this an effort to get rid of the Metropolitan Council? Absolutely not. Regional governance is important, but it would be more effective and credible with local representation. In the current system, Metropolitan Council members are non- elected individuals answerable only to the Governor, an office that has often been elected without majority support from metropolitan-area voters. We believe that only elected officials who are directly accountable to the electorate should hold the responsibility to impose taxes. The Council has a budget of over $1.5 billion in 2016 (more than that of the City of Minneapolis) and the authority to levy taxes on metropolitan-area residents ($82 million in 2016). We believe that the Council should be answerable to the citizens and taxpayers of the area it represents rather than a single officeholder and should feature strong representation from local elected officials.