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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Information Memorandum 02-20-2004FEBRUARY 20, 2004 Dummy UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS Medicine Lake Watershed Management Subcommittee February 25 meeting agenda ................... Page 3 Official Meeting Calendars for February, March, and April 2004 ................................................... Page 5 Tentative list of agenda items for future City Council meetings ..................................................... Page 11 NEWSARTICLES, RELEASES, PUBLICATIONS, ETC. Invitation to Chief Gerdes February 26 retirement party............................................................... Page 12 Bangor News story regarding how builders deal with affordable housing in Maine; submitted by Councilmember Stein............................................................................................... Page 13 City news release announcing student positions available on City advisory boards ..................... Page 16 City news release announcing March 1 Youth Town Forum......................................................... Page 17 Northwest Community Television Commission memo regarding selection of a lobbyist for the advisory board; submitted by Councilmember Hewitt ....................................................... Page 18 Comcast news release announcing the company bid for the Walt Disney Company ownership ... Page 19 494 Commuter Services annual report ........................................................................................... Page 21 Star Tribune news story about employee health care costs............................................................ Page 27 Star Tribune opinion piece from Bloomington City Councilmember Steve Elkins regarding the Metropolitan Council's role in Twin Cities development........................................................ Page 29 School of Public Health newsletter article by Marjorie Vigoren regarding Plymouth's effort to increase public awareness about household hazardous waste .......................................... Page 30 Information regarding a March 23 community forum on domestic violence ................................ Page 31 Notice of the February 23 Environmental Quality Fair, sponsored by the City of Plymouth and Zachary Lane Elementary school............................................................................................ Page 34 CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION MEMO February 20, 2004 Page 2 Notice and agenda for the March 3 League of Minnesota Cities "State of the Cities Legislative Conference..................................................................................................................................... Page 35 Wayzata School Board February 23 meeting agenda..................................................................... Page 37 STAFF REPORTS Fire Department fire/rescue incident of interest............................................................................. Page 38 MINUTES Draft minutes of the January 22 Aquatic Vegetation Management Committee meeting ............... Page 40 CITIZEN COMMUNICATIONS POLICY—CORRESPONDENCE Internet communique between Activity Center Manager Rick Busch and Don Crawford concerning behavior inside the field house.................................................................................... Page 44 Summary of 2004 correspondence tracking................................................................................... Page 45 CORRESPONDENCE Appointment letter and list of appointees to the Surface Water Task Force .................................. Page 46 Letter to residents regarding a request for variance to the City's noise regulations to allow nighttime cleaning of the sanitary sewer line along Nathan Lane ................................................. Page 48 Letter to residents regarding a request for variance for Harty's Boats (2004007) ......................... Page 49 Letter to residents regarding a request for variance for James and Debra McGill (2004009) ....... Page 50 Letter to residents regarding a regarding a request for rezoning and preliminary plat for SVKDevelopment (2004003)........................................................................................................ Page 51 UNDER SEPARATE COVER Report from the Center for the American Experiment Task Force on Metropolitan Governance........................................................................................................................................ Item I Report on Twin Cities Transportation System, from a conference attended by CouncilmemberHewitt ..................................................................................................................... Item II PowerPoint notes from the "Transportation and The Twin Cities Economy" conference attended by Councilmember Hewitt................................................................................................ Item III Matrix of possible transportation funding sources presented at the "Transportation and The Twin Cities Economy" conference attended by Councilmember Hewitt ................................ Item IV I Medicine Lake Watershed Subcommittee Plymouth Creek Management Plan Thursday, February 26, 2004 at 4:00 PM Bass Lake Room Acranda ItPmc• 4:00 PM Call to Order: ❑ Review of Agenda ❑ Approval of Minutes (attached) ❑ Guest Introduction & General Forum Guests may address the group about any item not contained on the regular agenda. A maximum of S minutes is allotted for the forum. 4:05 PM Up -Dates: ❑ EQC: next meeting March 10, 2004 ❑ AVM Group: Curlyleaf pondweed control permit & no -wake zone ordinance; next meeting March 18, 2004 ❑ Medicine Lake Water Quality Ponds Design & Construction Report from the Technical Committee: At the Dec. 9, 2003 meeting, a technical sub -committee (Jeff L., Greg Wilson, Brian V., John B., Tom G., and Shane M.) volunteered to study a number of issues and report back to the group (see attached report). 5:00 PM Prioritization. After the watershed assessment phase, this group will need to develop and prioritize a list of potential solutions and BMP's. The group needs to develop a prioritization scheme for evaluating and scoring these recommendations (in order to rank each recommendation based on a uniform set of criteria). A typical scoring system might include (for additional information please refer to your document An Eight Step Approach To Storm Water Retrofitting): 1. Pollutant removal capability (storage provided & type of BMP) 2. Stream channel protection capability (preventing or controlling erosion) 3. Cost: design, construction, and maintenance 4. Logistics: land ownership, construction access, permits, public opinion,... 5. Greater public benefit: education, location, visible amenity, public support 6. ?????????? 5:55 PM Future Meetin s: Dates I Topics XXXX Potential Recommendation: ❑ Budget ❑ Time table ❑ Regulatory Agencies Involved 6:00 PM ADJOURNED Supplementary Agenda Items: .,. C\Documents and Settings\khoffman\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Fi1esDLK16A\Agenda 2-26-04 doc OFFICIAL CITY MEETINGS February 2004 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7:00 PM PLANNING Council Chambers 7:00 PM HUMAN RIGHTS Medicine COMMISSION - Mene Lake Room 2:00 PM -7:00 PM FIRE &ICE FESTIVAL, Parkers Lake 7:00 PM PARK & REC ADVISORY COMMISSION (PRAC), Council Chambers 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 6:45 PM YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL, Council 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL 11.30 AM TWIN WEST STATE OF THE CITY - Plymouth Creek Center Chambers MEETING, Council Chambers 6:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE (EQC): PUBLIC HEARING, Council Chambers 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 PRESIDENTS DAY - City Offices Closed 7:00 PM HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (HRA), Council Chambers (this meeting only) 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 6:00 PM BOARD & 7:00 PM 4:00 PM COMMISSION REGULAR MEDICINE LAKE RECOGNITION COUNCIL WATERSHED EVENT- Plymouth MEETING, Council MANAGEMENT Creek Center Chambers SUBCOMMITTEE, Bass Lake Room Ash Wednesday (First Day of Lent) 29 Mar 2004 Jan 2004 S M T W T F S S M T W T F S 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 28 29 30 31 modified on 2/19/2004 J OFFICIAL CITY MEETINGS March 2004 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 5:15 PM YOUTH TOWN FORUM, Plymouth Creek Center 2 Caucus Night 3 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION, Council Chambers I 7:00 PM PLYMOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TRANSIT (PACT), Public Safety Training Room (this meeting only) 4 7:00 PM HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - Medicine Lake Room 5 6 8:30 AM SURFACE WATER TASK FORCE, Council Chambers 7 8 9 5:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING: UPDATE ON FLOOD ANALYSIS, Public Safety Training Room 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, Council Chambers 10 7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE (EQC), Plymouth Creek Center 11 7:00 PM PARK & REC ADVISORY COMMISSION (PRAC), Council Chambers 12 13 14 15 6:45 PM YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL, Council Chambers 16 6:30 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING: TRANSPORTATION STUDIES FOR VICKSBURG LN 8 MEDINA RD, Public Safety Training Room 17 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION, Council Chambers 18 7:00 PM HOUSING 8 REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (HRA), Medicine Lake Room 19 20 21 22 23 11:45AM PLYMOUTH-MTKA BUSINESS COUNCIL, BORN Conference Room, 301 Carlson Parkway, 4th floor 7:00 PM REGULAR ] COUNCIL MEETING, Council Chambers 24 7:00 PM PLYMOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TRANSIT (PACT) - Medicine Lake Room I 25 26 27 28 29 6:45 PM YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL, Council Chambers 30 31 Feb 2004 S M T W T F S Apr 2004 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 modified on 2/19/2004 1 OFFICIAL CITY MEETINGS April 2004 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday May 2004 S M T W T F S 1 1 7:00 PM HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - 2 3 Mar 2004 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Medicine Lake Room 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 28 29 30 31 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DAYLIGHT Passover 7:00 PM 7:00 PM PARK & Good Friday SAVINGS COMMENCES - begins at sunset PLANNING COMMISSION, REC ADVISORY COMMISSION set clocks ahead 1 Council Chambers (PRAC), Council hour Chambers Palm Sunday 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Easter 6,45 PM YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL, Public Safety Training Room 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, Council 7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE (EQC), Plymouth Creek Center 7 00 PM HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (HRA), Medicine Lake Room Chambers 7:00 PM BOARD OF EQUALIZATION, Council Chambers 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 7:00 PM 8:00 AM -1:00 PM HUMAN RIGHTS PLANNING COMMISSION COMMISSION, STUDENT Council Chambers WORKSHOP, Plymouth Ice Center 25 26 27 28 29 30 6:45 PM YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL, Public Safety Training Room 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, Council 7:00 PM PLYMOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON 7:00 PM CITY TALK W/COUNCIL MEMBER Plymouth BILCreek Center Chambers TRANSIT (PACT) - 7:00 PM BOARD OF EQUALIZATION Medicine Lake Room (RECONVENED), Council Chambers modified on 2/19/2004 Tentative Schedule for City Council Agenda Items February 27, Special, 11:00 a.m., St. Paul • Meet with Plymouth area legislators March 9, Special, 5:00 p.m., Public Safety Training Room • Consider remaining flood improvement study areas and project funding March 9, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers • Award Ice Center Bid Package 1 and 2 • Public hearing on sale of City -owned land at the northwest corner of Schmidt Lake Road and Northwest Blvd. • Accept Planning Commission's annual report and 2004 Work Plan • Approve impervious surface variance for a family room addition located at 17220 19 Avenue North. James & Debra McGill. (2004009) • Approve 2004 CDBG funding allocation and application March 16, Special, 6:30 p.m., Public Safety Training Room • Review Transportation Studies on Medina Road and Vicksburg Lane • Update with City Manager • Schedule Future Study Sessions March 23, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers • Approve 2004 Garbage Hauler Licenses Note: Special Meeting topics have been set by Council; all other topics are tentative. Please Join Us '6Te,lebrate anent of Chief Craig C. Gerdes At an Open House In his honor, to be held Thursday, February 26t",2004 3:00 P.m. to 5:00 P.M. Training Room City of Plymouth Public Safet-Nr Building 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 oil I.Wd K -M TO Growing Pains: Companies Consider Housing Affordability when Pondering Expansion Source: Bangor Daily News Publication date: 2004-02-14 For all of its 3,500 miles, it's hard to imagine a real-estate shortage along Maine's coast. But a shortage, driven largely by buyers arriving from more mature, mostly urban markets, is just what many experts agree has propelled the state's vaulting home prices. That shortage has made property sales and financing a bright spot through several years of an otherwise glum economy. It also has driven up home prices, rents and property taxes, forcing the effects of the housing drought up through new ranks of Maine's work force. Those effects include more workers sacrificing added drive time and child care costs for a home they can afford. For many employers along the Route 1 corridor, it means watching their labor base migrate farther from the coast. As they do, the familiar issue of affordable housing, once seen as a consequence of low income or unemployment, could be developing into a much broader concern. "This is not happening across the board, but very slowly, there are pockets of businesses here and there recognizing that affordable housing is a business problem," said Valerie Lamont, director of the University of Southern Maine's Real Estate Education Center. "Work force housing" is the term increasingly applied to what once were low-income or affordable housing projects. Planning theory generally holds that bolstering the low-income end of a community's housing supply will ease availability and pricing in other tiers of its market. But many areas with limited need for low-income housing have watched home prices outstrip salaries in critical job categories including teachers, police, municipal workers and firefighters. Now the pinch has moved up the pay scale, affecting medical professionals, lab researchers and university professors. "The answer is yes, it's a significant issue," said Michael Miles, human resources director at the University of New England, a medical school and research institute with campuses in Portland and Biddeford. "Once people get here and do a tour around and see what housing prices are like in southern Maine, it's sticker shock. It causes some folks not to come." Many new hires who do arrive join the search for affordable homes, and help to drive the effects of the coastal shortage deeper into the state. State Housing Authority figures released last month show a 15 percent increase last year in the number of communities where the households with median pay could no longer afford the median price of a home. Of the 21 communities new to the list, 16 were more than an hour north of Portland. To residents along the coast, housing and labor shortages are nothing new. Past problems, however, have generally been limited to a seasonal mad scramble during high -traffic summer months. The recent price run-up has matured that scramble into a perpetual concern for communities such as Camden and Belfast and on Mount Desert Island. In Hancock County alone, housing needs assessment studies are under way or recently completed in Ellsworth, Bucksport, Castine and Blue Hill. A growing number of businesses say the housing issue has made its way to their balance sheet. The problem appears to be most acute in coastal hospitals, colleges and research firms, which compete nationwide to attract professional staff. At Northeast Health in Rockport, recruitment specialist Mary Sargent said housing costs continue to weaken the "way of life" magnet traditionally so effective in attracting outside health care workers. Northeast employs a 1,200 -person staff at a half-dozen midcoast health care operations, including Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport and Quarry Hill Retirement Community in Camden. Sargent said the lack of available rentals discouraged so many job candidates that Northeast resorted to shelling out $24,000 for annual leases on two apartments to ease incoming employees into the rental market. "And very rarely are those places empty," Sargent said. "I'm booking just as tightly as I can." Health care jobs are among Maine's fastest-growing employment categories, generating 17 percent of total payroll in the state. Projections say growth will continue as hospitals and nursing homes expand to care for an aging population. "How you house those [additional workers] is going to be critical to accommodate the growth in that sector," said State Housing Authority director Michael Finnegan. As the economy improves, the crunch could grow worse. Gov. John E. Baldacci announced last month that Maine could see as many as 5,000 new jobs this year. A planner's general rule says an area should add 700 new units of housing for every 1,000 new jobs created. According to that rule, 3,500 additional housing units are needed to support incoming jobs this year. Finnegan said a $159 million pipeline of pending, multiunit construction projects promises to add more than 1,600 units to the state's affordable housing inventory over the next 24 months. Projects are slated for the coast in Waldoboro, Damariscotta, Rockland and Perry. The additions would create a 6 percent increase in affordable housing stock. The state meanwhile has seen a 250 percent increase in requests for rent subsidy vouchers since 2001. On Feb. 7, Maine Revenue Services confirmed that the state's $23.3 million annual housing subsidy allocation was scraping bottom, leaving payment uncertain for as many as 3,000 families through the remainder of the fiscal year. Bruce Starrett, vice president and co-owner of Penobscot Frozen Foods in Belfast, can't say whether housing is the cause. But he can say keeping more than 200 factory floor jobs filled has grown tough. "Years ago, it was never a problem to find a warm body. Now it's a challenge," Starrett said. Starrett said any further tightening of the labor pool would force the company to invest in more automation equipment. The change would be costly but effective, he said, and an option clearly not available to all businesses. The Hinckley Co. in Northeast Harbor moved its manufacturing facilities off Mount Desert Island to Trenton during a 1998 expansion. Hinckley marketing director Nancy Austin said housing costs for the company's 400 workers did not figure directly into the decision to relocate. Austin said the move did provide access to a broader labor pool and shorter commutes for workers coming from Bucksport, Bangor, Brewer and Machias - all less expensive housing markets. Mount Desert Island Hospital spokesman Jeff Nichols said his organization has had few problems filling vacant positions. But the cost of filling those jobs has grown. Salary and benefits are about 60 percent of overall revenue and increasing. When asked if there is a connection between that increase and housing costs on MDI, Nichols said, "Yes, there is absolutely. We struggle to remain competitive in terms of our salaries, given the lack of available and affordable housing." In spite of rising home costs and a redistributing work force, many businesses say they have not yet been touched. Hannaford Bros., which operates 20 grocery stores along the coast, reports no problem in filling vacant job slots. Credit card lender MBNA employs 2,000 workers at its Belfast campus and about 2,500 others in offices across the state. Spokesman Carolyn Marsh said the company has seen no direct effect from housing costs or a lack of qualified applicants. �i Robert Hastings, director of the Rockland -Thomaston Chamber of Commerce, said businesses there have reported no difficulty in hiring, even after a spate of national retailers opened there last year. At the other end of the scale is the fast-growing Jackson Laboratory, which reports a significant impact on its ability to compete for and house employees. After doubling in size in the past decade to 1,300 workers, the company has established a commuter bus to shuttle employees from as far afield as Bangor. Human resources manager Hook Wheeler said balancing salary offers to the island's cost of living has become a losing battle. "We're talking dramatic increases of 50 to 70 percent in towns around here in the last five years," Wheeler said. "Clearly our salaries haven't elevated by the same amount." Does this, in turn, reduce the state's ability to attract new research and development businesses? Department of Economic & Community Development director Jack Cashman concedes spiraling property prices have raised barriers to economic development along the coast. But regions farther north and inland, Cashman said, continue to undercut the competition among states vying for new business. "In probably 90 percent of the state, I think mousing prices are an advantage to us," he said. Observers like Lamont suggest a growing number of existing businesses along the Route 1 corridor could be forced to follow the example of Northeast Health and enter the real estate management trade in order to stabilize their work force. Greg Dugal, executive director of the Maine Innkeepers Association, said the state's increasingly year- round hospitality industry is an early example of that trend. Hotels like the Asticou Inn at Northeast Harbor and the Colony Hotel in Kennebunkport built staff dormitories to support the seasonal staffing binge. The Samoset Resort purchased a home in Rockland to house summer staff. Portsmouth, N.H.- based Ocean Properties, which owns three hotels in Bar Harbor, dedicates its Days Inn Hotel in Tremont to employee housing during the summer. Once largely a seasonal sector, 60 percent of Maine hotels and motels are now open year round. As more inns remain open, Dugal said the need for staff housing could push the problem onto more operators and beyond the summer months. "The issue has been sort of lurking out there - always seemingly just below the radar screen," Dugal said. "But to me, it is a crisis waiting it happen." 5 City of Plymouth News Release For Immediate Release February 17, 2004 Contact: Sandy Paulson, 763-509-5080 Plymouth Students Sought for Positions on City Advisory Boards The City of Plymouth is seeking Plymouth students for three community advisory groups. The City Council will interview applicants to fill student seats on the Youth Advisory Council, Human Rights Commission and the Wayzata -Plymouth Chemical Health Commission. "This is a great way for students to learn about City government, focus on an area of interest to them and serve their community. Students always bring a lot to the table in terms of energy, ideas and new perspectives, but it also pays off for the students by giving them new experiences," said Communications Manager Helen LaFave. Applicants must be under age 21. The deadline to apply is April 30. For an application, call 763-509-5080. Please be sure to leave your name, mailing address and telephone number. Applications are also available on the City of Plymouth web site, www.ci.plymouth.mn.us. Click on the City Gov tab, then click on Boards and Commissions. City of Plymouth News Release For Immediate Release Contact: Kurt Hoffman, 763-509-5054 Plymouth Youth Town Forum Slated for March 1 The City of Plymouth, through its Youth Advisory Council, is hosting the fourth annual Youth Town Forum on Mon., March 1, 5:15 — 7:15 p.m., at Plymouth Creek Center, 14800 — 34th Ave. N., Plymouth. The forum is free. Dinner will be provided. Featured guest speakers will include: District 43 State Senator David Gaither, The Urban Coalition President and CEO Lee Pao Xiong, and Plymouth Mayor Judy Johnson. Several area higher education institutions will have representatives on hand with information about post—high school education options. The Plymouth Youth Town Forum is a venue for young Plymouth residents (in grades 8-12) to learn about City issues and express their opinions on current and future City projects and programs. The forum is an opportunity for students to become more informed and involved in City of Plymouth activities. The forum is one of several steps the City has taken toward including young people in City government dialogue. The Plymouth Youth Advisory Council is a citizen advisory commission to the Plymouth City Council. In 1998, the City Council formed the Youth Advisory Council to get a youth perspective on a variety of City issues and projects. The group strives to improve the quality of life in the community by: ■ Contributing a youth perspective when City -related issues are discussed; ■ Providing safe and positive venues for young people to connect with each other and other members of the community; ■ Aiding in the development of citizenship skills; and ■ Promoting community involvement. To register for the Youth Town Forum, please call Kurt Hoffman at 763-509-5054, or e—mail at khoffman@ci.plymouth.mn.us. 17 Northwest Suburbs Cable Coni n inications Commission 6900 JFinnetka Avenue N. Brooklyn Park, AIN 55428 (763) 533- 8196 COMMISSION MEMORANDUM TO: COMMISSION MEMBERS FROM: GREG MOORE SUBJECT: SELECTION OF LOBBYIST DATE: FEBRUARY 10, 2004 On February 6"' we received proposals from three firms to lobby for NWSCCC. The three firms are: Kennedy & Graven, Messerh & Krasner and Faegre & Benson. The selection of the lobbying firm was delegated to the NWSCCC Executive Conututtee, however, if any Commissioner has any concerns about an), of these firms, please notify me at 763-533-8196 before Wednesday, February 18th, so I can relate your concerns to the Executive Conunittee. i Brooklyn Center • Brooklyn Park 0 Crystal • Golden Valley • Maple Grove 9 New Hope • Osseo 9 Plymouth • Robbinsdale cc, �a. Contacts: ,.PRESS RELEASE From Comcast Corporation: D'Arcy Rudnay, Vice President, Corporate Communications (215) 981-8582 Tim Fitzpatrick, Director, Corporate Communications (215) 981-8515 From The Abernathy MacGregor Group: Adam Miller or Brian Faw (212) 371-5999 COMCAST CORPORATION MAKES PROPOSAL TO MERGE WITH THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY Offer Values Disney at $66 Billion Strategic Combination Would Create One of the World's Premier Entertainment and Communications Companies NEW YORK, February 11, 2004. Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK) today announced that it has made a proposal to The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) to merge the two companies in a tax-free transaction. The combination would create one of the world's leading entertainment and communications companies with an unparalleled distribution platform and an extraordinary portfolio of content assets. The new company would have a presence in all of the nation's top 25 markets, and would propel broadband forward, expanding current services and inspiring new ones. Terms of the proposed transaction are as follows: • Comcast would issue 0.78 of a share of Comcast Class A voting common stock for each Disney share. • Disney shareholders would receive a premium of over $5 billion, based on yesterday's closing prices, plus full participation in the combination benefits. • Comcast's proposal values Disney at $66 billion (which includes assumption of $11.9 billion of Disney's net debt), offering a multiple of approximately 14x Disney's 2004 estimated EBITDA. • Disney shareholders would own 42% of the combined company. "This is a unique opportunity for all shareholders of Comcast and Disney to create a new leader of the entertainment and communications industry," said Brian L. Roberts, I 1 President and Chief Executive Officer of Comcast. "Not only would this merger create significant shareholder value, but it would also position the combined company to compete vigorously with other entertainment and communications companies, including newly created integrated distribution/content providers." "Our management team has a proven track record of successful integration of our merger partners," said Mr. Roberts. "We are prepared, ready and excited to greet the opportunities and challenges the proposed combination presents in order to deliver substantial value to shareholders of the new combined company." "I know Disney's businesses very well," said Steve Burke, President of Comcast Cable. "And I am confident that when we put those great brands and programming assets together with our distribution, there will be significant opportunities to produce compelling returns for shareholders." The superior track record of Comcast's management is shown by its success in the acquisition of AT&T Broadband, which was twice the size of Comcast when acquired fifteen months ago. Performance of the merged company has far exceeded initial margin improvement expectations. The combination has resulted in immediate reversal of basic subscriber loss and acceleration of system upgrades, as well as significant launches of new products and services such as video -on -demand and HDTV. As part of the proposal, Comcast has noted the applicability of the FCC's current program access and program carriage rules to the combined company, which should address potential concerns that could be raised in the regulatory process. Those rules ensure that the combined company will continue to make all of its satellite -delivered national and regional cable networks available on a non-exclusive, non-discriminatory basis and that there will be no discrimination against unaffiliated programming services, all comparable to the undertakings made by News Corp. in its recent acquisition of DirecTV. Comcast is being advised by Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, Quadrangle Group and Rohatyn Associates. Davis Polk & Wardwell is the legal advisor to Comcast. The full text of the letter sent to Disney is attached. Comcast Corporation (www.comcast.com) is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable networks and in the provision of programming content. The Company is the largest cable company in the United States, serving more than 21 million cable subscribers. The Company's content businesses include majority ownership of Comcast Spectacor, Comcast SportsNet, E! Entertainment Television, Style, The Golf Channel, Outdoor Life Network and G4. Comcast Class A common stock and Class A Special common stock trade on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbols CMCSA and CMCSK, respectively. /) 494 Commuter Services Annual Report: Progress in Meeting Work Plan Goals Description Goal Outcome Commuter Fairs 48 93 Employers enrolled in the 35 70 regional commuter Challenge Commuters added to 900 1219 regional rideshare database New vanpools 6 8 New carpools 450 610 Create brochure and other n.a Brochure, commuter fair signs, outreach materials table banner, Commute planner, invitations for numerous events. Conduct information 1 • Congestion Summit seminars • Congestion Summit II (w/Liberty Property Trust) • Presentation to all 6 City Councils Assist with developers with n.a. 6 City required TDM Plans Write articles/seek news n.a. • Sun Current (2X) coverage of employer • Edina About Town outreach • Edina About Business • Bloomington Chamber newsletter �L TRANSPORTATION &c THE TWIN CITIES ECONOMY: A BUSINESS COMMUNITY BRIEFING WHAT IS IT? A discussion on improving the Twin Cities metropolitan transportation infrastructure. When: Friday, January 30, 2004 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Where: St. Anthony on Main Event Centre 219 Southeast Main Street, Minneapolis 55414 Why a Transportation Briefing? MCC, a coalition of 21 metro -area chambers of commerce, released a report earlier this year that determined that the continued prosperity of the Twin Cities business community "is threatened by a major element of the economic landscape -- the region's transportation system." The report went on to note that "our [transportation] system's performance has deteriorated in recent years and fails to adequately serve the needs of the business community. Worse yet, the region's transportation system promises to grow more inadequate if major steps are not taken to prevent this." MCC believes that the business community must take an active role in improving our regional transportation system. The 2003 InterCity Leadership Visit to Seattle, a joint effort of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, brought together a group of 110 Twin Cities leaders from the public, private and non-profit sector to learn about Seattle's critical community issues. At the end of the trip, the ICLV delegates determined they want action on our regional transportation issues. Presented By: InterCity Leadership Visit Metropolitan Coalition of Chambers (MCC) SPONSORS: Dorsey & Whitney, LLP DPRA Sponsor Comments: Jay Lindgren. Dorsey & Whitney, LLP ZZ • long range economic vitality of the metropolitan area depends upon a sound transportation system Presenter Comments: MCC (David Lenzen) • Transportation is a key issue for the MCC • Issues of concern to MCC • Air cargo/passenger airport effectiveness • Blueprint 2030 • Regional Transportation problems • inefficient movement of goals • tardy employees and lost productivity Guest Speaker: Skip Rimsza, former mayor of Phoenix Topic: The Role of the Business Community in Moving Forward • Phoenix area faced tremendous regional transportation problems • Their area has twice the growth rate of Twin Cities • Had the same legislative resistance we experience • Phoenix led the way in the region • Formed a committee to share power between various communities in Phoenix metro area Economic Development Business leaders wanted to know: What are your plans for the future is transportation on list? leaders stressed a need for dedicated funding Believes communities must partner with business to be successful - Economic concern: salaries may stay flat for workers in Arizona - What do we do to reduce cost -of -living? - mass transit - Arizona immigrant population needs mass transit - Rimsza wants government to help me compete on a global basis Phoenix has a 20 year highway plan Asking voters to approve extension on light rail even though their first light rail line is not yet open - future federal matches are at 50% Phoenix concentrating more on mass transit than roadway improvements due to geometric limitation L� Arizona explored toll roads, however, studies did not support feasibility Need LA style congestion to make them possible It may collapse economy if used - would have to close existing lanes and force people onto toll lanes to make them profitable Puts plans right on the ballot - (charts: graphs right on ballot) (all improvements shown on charts & graphs) It takes time - need to raise a lot of money Q- How did you get people to work together? It was difficult; treat people fairly Q - Role of business community Mayor took the lead - went to utilities, then banks for assistance 2006 - vote on regional transportation plan; expect 70% approval on 20 year plan Legislative Strategy - build your committee from every constituency, including key legislative leaders, to develop a strategy for a long range transportation plan Q - Why the sales tax? Better than the alternative choices of property or income tax. [CURT JOHNSON] - Market Choices & Fair Prices Congestion is something you manage, not solve; Build more cost of development into the users who use it - cost of a car - avg. $9,000/year (1) (honesty in pricing - user pays) (2) activity rich districts attract transit riders - circulation in zones also important (3) provide choices - create connections inside the beltways - public transit - reduces congestion by 29% skyweb.com Commit to the Corridors Boomers want urban environment Who can lead? - chamber coalition - Itasca project - [Phoenix] from committee to define the problem and then the solution - a system of "permanent infrastructure" [BILL BLAZER] - Minnesota Chamber Funding Options What's our region's priority? • Air quality • Entertainment/Cultural • Water Quality - $700 million • Transportation - 1 billion/year - Efficiencies - reallocation of existing resources - Options - Governance and Management [RIMSZA] - user fees don't work in a metro area - toll roads only work in an area like ours if you close existing lanes and force them onto the new toll road [BRIAN MCCLURRY] - TwinWest Chamber - support a multi -modal approach - projects with greatest regional impact should have priority [ AZ] - Enabling Legislature to create committee [PETER BALL] - Transportation #1 Regional concern Dedicated source of funding for transit (governor has interest) Currently - fare tax - MVET - gen. fund local communities need some skin in the game (hasn't defined "local") - looking at ways to put new resources on the table (HOT LANE/FAST LANE) - Opt -Outs - Are they viable in the future? - There will be no new taxes for transportation [PETER IVICLAUGHLIN] - Minneapolis -St. Paul - the 44th largest economy in the world - couple gas tax increase (beneficial to Greater MN under formula) with a metro wide sales tax [MTDB] - Funding Recommendation - 1/2% sales tax - 220 million/year - $.06 gas tax - 192 million/year startribune.com Close window Health insurance costs outweigh pay raises for many workers David Phelps Star Tribune Published 02/19/2004 After three years of double-digit increases, the cost of health insurance is looming as an issue larger than actual wage increases for many American workers. It is one of the key points in the breakdown of contract negotiations this week between the Metropolitan Council and unionized Metro Transit workers, including bus drivers. Clerical workers at the University of Minnesota went on strike over the matter last year, and increasing the contribution of other state employees was a critical element in the Legislature's efforts to balance the state's budget last year. "It is the issue today in collective bargaining," said John Remington, a specialist in labor-management relations for the Carlson School of Business at the University of Minnesota. Supermarket companies have clashed of late with the United Food and Commercial Workers union over health care costs, resulting in strikes in St. Louis, West Virginia and Southern California. Health care costs also are a top issue in the Twin Cities grocery market, as members of Local 653, which represents 14,000 workers, negotiate a new contract with Supervalu and other supermarket chains. The union's current contracts expires Feb. 29. While the steady increases in health care costs have put pressure on employers to control expenses, there is only so much that can be squeezed from employees who in many cases have been living on annual wage increases of 2 and 3 percent, experts say. A survey of private employers conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that health insurance costs increased 13.9 percent in 2002, the third consecutive year of double-digit rate increases and the seventh consecutive year of increases overall. The survey found that premiums paid by families in employer -covered plans rose 13 percent to more than $2,400 a year. "Employers can say no to workers, but they can't say no to insurers and providers," said Peter Rachleff, a history professor at Macalester College in St. Paul. Last week a coalition of Minnesota labor unions proposed a constitutional amendment giving Minnesotans the right to affordable health care. "In poll after poll, Minnesotans keep telling us they're being priced out of health care," AFL-CIO President Ray Waldron said in announcing the proposal at a Capitol news conference. "Their benefits are eroding, and they're worried." The constitutional amendment probably is a longshot, particularly in a short legislative session this year. But employers and employees are exploring other options for controlling health care costs. Some companies are installing programs such as nurse lines to provide medical information that might allow someone to forgo a doctor's visit, or self-help lines and disease -management programs to help lower costs. "The employer community is tired of just shifting costs to employees," said David Delahanty, a human resources consultant with Mellon Financial Corp. "They're trying to control the demand side of things." An organization called the Labor Management Health Care Coalition of the Upper Midwest represents 130,000 union members from various trades and uses its size to negotiate better drug prices and care options. "Our strategy is to work on this issue upstream from bargaining," said executive director Sean Kenney. "When it gets to the bargaining table, it's a lot of heat and very little light." Jim Monroe, executive director of the Minnesota Association of Public Employees, said his members cannot take another increase in health care costs after the rise in co -pays and deductibles in the last contract with the state. "We're hearing from people having sticker shock after they visit their doctor," Monroe said. "The next round of negotiations [in 2005] are going to be very difficult. Cost shifting is not going to work anymore." Staff writer Thomas Lee contributed to this report. David Phelps is at dphelps a)startriNa con Copyright 2004 Star Tribune. All rights reserved. ME startribune.com Close window Steve Elkins: Criticism of Met Council role is based on myths Steve Elkins Published 02/19/2004 The recent debate instigated by the Center of the American Experiment over the Metropolitan Council's role in shaping Twin Cities development is based on two big misconceptions: • Myth 1: The Met Council controls the supply of developable land with a line that moves outward to extend sewers and other urban services. Fact: Cities actually control the supply of developable land through local zoning laws. The council's line defines the inner portion of the metro area known as MUSA, the Metropolitan Urban Services Area. The council publishes the current MUSA line as well as hypothetical future boundaries of sewer services needed to accommodate growth projections. But the actual MUSA line is extended at the request of cities along the boundary. If the boundary is not being extended to accommodate growth, it is because cities along the line are not requesting extensions. • Myth 2: The Met Council resists extending the MUSA line in order to force dense development in areas already served by sewers. Fact: Cities along the MUSA line resist extending the boundary because they have no way of financing the infrastructure required to service new development. The sole purpose of the hypothetical future boundaries published by the Met Council is to guide development in directions that can be serviced by gravity -fed sewer lines to minimize public cost. As Met Council Chair Peter Bell has pointed out, this policy has saved Twin Cities taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Cities straddling the current line are reluctant to request extensions because state tax laws provide no practical way for local governments to finance infrastructure for new development. Because the law prohibits cities and school districts from collecting impact fees from developers to cover the cost of new water mains, roads and schools, those costs must be borne by each jurisdiction's existing taxpayers, who are understandably reluctant to see their property taxes raised repeatedly to finance growth. Because the Legislature has limited the amount that cities may levy against local property owners, many cities have no way of recovering those costs. Thus, it's no surprise that many suburbs have imposed moratoriums on residential building permits to prevent growth. Recent reductions in state aid to cities exacerbate this problem. Thus, when the council proposed to open land in Elko and New Market for development, fast-growing Lakeville objected. The burden of funding new public services, including schools, would fall on Lakeville taxpayers who are already overburdened by levy after levy to finance new schools. Astute observers of regional conflict will note that every spat between the council and Lake Elmo, Eagan or any other city revolves around municipal resistance to additional development. If the Center of the American Experiment, the Taxpayers League of Minnesota and their allies succeed in abolishing the Met Council, no positive effect would be gained on land supply. Instead there would be a willy- �vq nilly extension of the regional sewer system at a waste of millions of dollars. In addition, the Taxpayers League's "bill of rights" proposal would further limit the ability of cities and school districts to finance large upfront capital investments needed to accommodate growth. Ironically, their policies help achieve the "smart growth" advocated by their opponents. Preventing outer suburbs from financing growth increases the value and lure of land closer to the urban core, accelerating the ongoing trend toward higher -density infill development already underway. This trend is fed by a free market preference of many empty -nesters for "new urbanist" housing in cosmopolitan settings, and by the inconvenience of ever more congested commutes -- caused again by the Taxpayers League and its allies, who oppose investment in regional transportation infrastructure. Constraints on new development at the metropolitan edge would vanish if cities and school districts were allowed to assess cost -based impact fees against new development to recover investments in new infrastructure. Critics of the Met Council, whether political activists or developers, need to understand that there is no free lunch. The council makes a convenient whipping boy, but the criticism by the Center of the American Experiment and its allies is misplaced. Steve Elkins is a Bloomington City Council member and a member of the Metropolitan Council's Land Use Advisory Commission. © Copyright 2004 Star Tribune. All rights reserved. MarjorieVgoren, BS 112000, the City of Plymouth, Minnesota, took on the challcng� to increase awareness of proper use, disposal, and reduction of house- hold hazardous waste. A grant from Hennepin County's Department of Environmental Management allowed Plymouth's Recycling Program to tackle the perplexing issue of reaching the public with the primary message to reduce exposure to household toxicants. Focus groups conducted with randomly -selected citizens to determine how to best deliver important and often complicated environmental messages confirmed that people don't take the time to read detailed information. A woman in one of the focus groups who commented on a bumper sticker -sized notice emblazoned with three simple words, "I like this one, I can read it as I throw it away" exemplifies this point. Believing this attitude to be more the rule than the exception, we decided that the key to being heard was to find people who want the information. They would be people who: • have something personal at stake related to the information; • would be venturing into some new chapter of their lives—open to guidance as they face unfamiliar ground; and • would belong to a group, so we could identify them and address several people at a time. Applying these criteria, the Recycling Coordinator looked for potential groups that Giyof,Ply had a stake in our message. The group that satisfied all the criteria was parents in our the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency local Early Childhood Family Educations (ECFE) parenting classes. Many were first- (EPA), the Poison Control Center, and the time parents, eager for information to guide vYater resod l them through the maze of parenting skills. All ttntuuatmovefor of them had the safety and health of their andnewduttesto infant or young children in mind. They ron gathered regularly with the goal of gaining position to collaim organtzatiotts,am skills to raise their young offspring. outapubficeduca With this group in mind we developed a ernnronm,-"I,ste one-hour class for parents and caregivers of :- programsandeV infants and small children. The class focused on reducing exposure to toxic substances in create the` erm substances and how to assess product risks. An exercise in reading and evaluating product labels introduces parents to the skills necessary to assess product safety. Parents also learn that some products, like medications, alcohol, and gasoline do not necessarily carry warnings, but can be toxic nonetheless. After completing the label -reading exercise participants discuss alternative products and methods to reduce the use of toxic chemicals. Assess. Participants learn how to assess their child's environment for toxic substances. They receive a checklist that identifies places where toxicants are likely to be found and are encouraged to perform an inventory of their homes and daycare centers. Each point of concern on the checklist has a corresponding action to reduce or eliminate the threat. Remediate hazards or exposure. It is critical that parents are given the tools to limit exposure and reduce its harmful consequences because the potential for accidental exposure can never be completely eliminated. Information about the Poison Control Center, correct use of syrup of Ipecac, intact product labels, and proper clean-up techniques are introduced as vital tools to effectively deal with a child's exposure to toxic substances. Participants are also given information to help them dispose of any household hazardous waste they may have in their homes. Educate. Information from sources like their child's caregivers. ahOMngparttirneposmonto,'-, Project Outcome inerttaledueationeoordutator SCFE lasses have been an excellent homes. The presentation was called "Use KARE to Keep Children Safe From Toxic Substances" The acronym KARE represents four factors that are important in keeping children safe from toxicants: Know, Assess, Remediate, and Educate. Our message focused on how parents can reduce the odds of their children being harmed by toxic substances using KARE. Presentations consisted of PowerPoint slides, a bag of "look-alike" products, and a worksheet to help participants understand what labels tell them about product safety. Program Components of KARE Know. Parents need to know why exposure to toxic substances pose a greater risk to children than to adults so they can begin to consider these factors in managing their child's environment. Parents learn that the size, rate of development, behavior characteristics, and cognitive development of children make them particularly vulnerable to toxic substances. Parents also learn how children are exposed to toxic t<�hUt Wim_ n choice for the implementation of the program. 'rts-theeoac�natorearr�es Since the program began, presentations have �mpaigntopromote been made to over fifty classes. Parents are ship through events, yoftnig engaged and often offer stories from their experiences that become illustrations for other classes. Twenty-five participants have taken action on the advice from the presentation to order radon detection kits at a cost of $7 each. Teachers of the ECFE parenting classes report that parents remain interested in the topic of child exposure to house- hold toxicants after the presentation. The ECFE Program Director and parenting class teachers continue to request the presentation. Plymouth's Recycling Program continues to publish brochures, fact sheets, and newsletters -to alert people to the potential hazards and environmental consequences of various household products, but we are convinced that face-to-face encounters through the ECFE classes are by 5U far our most effective outreach. Marjorie Vigoren, BS is the Solid Waste and Environmental Education Coordinator for the City of Plymouth, Minnesota. February 2004 , 11 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency h:isa Leader (EPA), the Poison Control Center, and the .;_ t , Extension Service of the University of (,1tWti0ll Minnesota are gathered into packets for each k r r fb� atlhe - participant. Participants are encouraged to �',r read the information and then to share it with their child's caregivers. ahOMngparttirneposmonto,'-, Project Outcome inerttaledueationeoordutator SCFE lasses have been an excellent homes. The presentation was called "Use KARE to Keep Children Safe From Toxic Substances" The acronym KARE represents four factors that are important in keeping children safe from toxicants: Know, Assess, Remediate, and Educate. Our message focused on how parents can reduce the odds of their children being harmed by toxic substances using KARE. Presentations consisted of PowerPoint slides, a bag of "look-alike" products, and a worksheet to help participants understand what labels tell them about product safety. Program Components of KARE Know. Parents need to know why exposure to toxic substances pose a greater risk to children than to adults so they can begin to consider these factors in managing their child's environment. Parents learn that the size, rate of development, behavior characteristics, and cognitive development of children make them particularly vulnerable to toxic substances. Parents also learn how children are exposed to toxic t<�hUt Wim_ n choice for the implementation of the program. 'rts-theeoac�natorearr�es Since the program began, presentations have �mpaigntopromote been made to over fifty classes. Parents are ship through events, yoftnig engaged and often offer stories from their experiences that become illustrations for other classes. Twenty-five participants have taken action on the advice from the presentation to order radon detection kits at a cost of $7 each. Teachers of the ECFE parenting classes report that parents remain interested in the topic of child exposure to house- hold toxicants after the presentation. The ECFE Program Director and parenting class teachers continue to request the presentation. Plymouth's Recycling Program continues to publish brochures, fact sheets, and newsletters -to alert people to the potential hazards and environmental consequences of various household products, but we are convinced that face-to-face encounters through the ECFE classes are by 5U far our most effective outreach. Marjorie Vigoren, BS is the Solid Waste and Environmental Education Coordinator for the City of Plymouth, Minnesota. February 2004 , 11 Domestic Violence Prevention Network of Northwest Hennepin Couf ty f February 5, 2004 , Dear The Domestic Violence Prevention Network of Northwest Hennepin County(DVPN) is marking it's tenth year in 2004. As part of our I& anniversary activities we are holding a community forum, `Domestic Violence: A Decade of Progress?!'. It will be held on March 23`d at 7pm on the campus of North Hennepin Community College. We cordially invite you and members of your organization to attend. There will be panelists on women's and children's issues, a resource fair, viewing of artwork by child witnesses and display of the Northwest Hennepin Clothesline Project. We would like all public officials that are planning on attending to please RSVP to Home Free at (763) 545-7080. In addition, at the forum, please sign in as you enter the auditorium as we plan to introduce the public officials that are in attendance. Enclosed is a flyer announcing the event and a sponsor form. If you or your organization would like to support the forum and the DVPN, we would greatly appreciate any contribution you are able to make. Sponsors will be acknowledged in the event program. If you would like to be a part of the resource fair, please complete the enclosed resource table form. The DVPN is made up of concerned citizens and representatives of various groups in the Northwest Hennepin area. It began in 1994 as a result of community groups wanting to respond to the issues of domestic violence. The Network is dedicated to stopping violence against women and children and we welcome anyone who wishes to join us. Please call the one of the persons below if you would like further information. Sincerely, i < i.&L-C� Jennifer Kearin Co - Chair (763)493-2802 al�,c�c� dAtz&6 Laura Landis Co -Chair (763) 545-7080 ext. 12 The Domestic Violence Prevention Networiz of Northwest Hennepin County includes: Citizens from Local Communities and Representatives from: Family and Children's Service • Home Free • Initiative for Violence Free Families - League of Women Voters of Brooklyn Park, Osseo, Maple Grove, Wayzata and Plymouth North Hennepin Community College • Northwest Hennepin Human Services Council - PRISM • Project P.E.A.C.E Riverview United Methodist Church • Safe}ourney • Sojourner Project Inc. • Valley Community Presbyterian Church I 9%e I)omestic Violence Prevention ]Retworh of Northwest Hennepin County Presents Domestic Violence: A Decade of Progress?! A Community Forum Free and Open to the public March 23rd, 2004 7:00 p.m. North Hennepin Community College 741185 th Ave N Broohlyn Pariz Fine Arts Building Keynote Speaker — Ember Reichgott-lunge Panelists on Domestic Violence and its effect on: Abuse in Later Life Survivor Gay, Lesbian, Bi -sexual, and Transgender Persons Immigrants and Refugees Homelessness Children ALSO: • Resource Fair • Artwork from Children who have witnessed Domestic Violence • Northwest Hennepin Clothesline Project Please call (763) 545-7080 for further information or if you need a sign language interpreter. North Hennepin Community College is handicapped Accessible. Domestic Violence ]Prevention Network of Northwest Hennepin County OFFICIAL SPONSOR FORM We would like to be listed as an official sponsor for the Domestic Violence Prevention Network's community forum, Domestic Violence: A Decade of Progress?! Please list our organization (individuals may also be listed as sponsors) as: We will contribute: $25 $50 Other: Please make checks payable to Northwest Hennepin Human Services Council (or NWHHSC) Organization: Contact Person and Title: Address: Telephone: E-mail . We would like to have a speaker on domestic violence at one of our meetings. We would like more information on the Domestic Violence Prevention Network. Please return this form by March 12th, 2004 to: Kari Hitchcock Home Free 3409 Kilmer Lane Plymouth, MN 55441 The Domestic Violence Prevent;ou Networh of Northwest Hennepin County ;-eludes: Citizens from Local Communities and Representatives from: Family and Children's Service • Home Free • Initiative for Violence Free Families • League of women Voters of Brooldyn Park, Osseo, Maple Grove, Wayzata and Plymouth • North Hennepin Community College • Northwest Hennepin Human Services Council • PRISM • Project PEACE • Riverview United Methodist Church • SafeJourney • Sojourner Project Ie. • Valley Community Presbyterian Church 13 The City of Plymouth 8, Z,Ichary Lane Elementary School present 1011 44 Ae I lee S YWIt prile,� 2004 Environmental Quality Fait ®ver 30 environmental exhiibitoral Monday, February 23 5:30-8:00 PM Zachary Lane Elementary School 4350 Zachary Lane N. Plymouth "Green" meal served on a Frisbee 74 League 2004 State of the Cities Legislative conference Get involved and make your voice heard at the Capitol! o Learn the findings of the State of the Cities Report 2004. o Find out about proposed limitations on city revenue from Sen. Michele Bachmann; Bill Blazar, Vice-president, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce; John Gunyou, City Manager, Minnetonka and former State Finance Director;and Dr. Daniel Mullins, Professor of Public Administration, American University. o Hear from leaders shaping the future of the state -local relationship --Sen. Dean Johnson, Senate Majority Leader and Rep. Steve Sviggum, Speaker of the House. o Meet with your legislators as part of City Day at the Capitol. Register for the 2004 State of the Cities Legislative conference at: http://www.Imnc.org/conf/stateofcities2OO4.cfm LMC 2004 State of the Cities Legislative Conference March 3 -- Four Points Sheraton, St. Paul 8 a.m. Registration, Coffee, and Doughnuts 8:30 a.m. Welcome and Overview Mark Voxland, President, LMC 8:50 a.m. City Initiatives from the White House Toby Burke, Special Assistant to the President, White House 9 a.m. Getting the Most Out of "City Day at the Capitol" 1 P.M. Gary Carlson, Intergovernmental Relations Director, LMC 9:30 a.m. State of the Cities Report 2004 Eric Willette, Policy Research Manager, LMC 10:15 a.m. Break 10:30 a.m. Funding Public Services -- Learn about revenue contraints potentially impacting back. to State of the Cities Legislative Conference. Main Page how cities provide services. Sen. Michelle Bachmann Bill Blazer, Vice President, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce John Gunyou, City Manager, Minnetonka & former State Finance Director Dr. Daniel Mullins, Professor of Public Administration, American University 12 p.m. Lunch 1 P.M. Let's Talk About Local Control -- Explore mandates and regulatory issues shaping your ability to determine your city's quality of life. Sen. Dean Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Rep. Steve Sviggum, Speaker of the House 1:45 p.m. Overview of Legislative Issues Gary Carlson, Intergovernmental Relations Director, LMC 2 p.m. City Day at the Capitol -- Make an appointment to build and strengthen your relationship with your legislators. back. to State of the Cities Legislative Conference. Main Page WAYZATA PUBLIC SCHOOLS Independent School District 284 Wayzata, Minnesota BOARD OF EDUCATION Work Session — February 23, 2004 - 4:00 p.m. District Administration Building — Board Room 210 County Road 101 North, Plymouth AGENDA 1. Call to Order — Board Chair 2. Administrative a. Report on District Diversity Goal — John Greupner, Steve Root b. Board Policy Review Committee Calendar/Guidelines — Annie Doughty, Jane Sigford C. Oakwood Site Plan — Jane Sigford, Dennis Grasmick 3. Financial a. Discussion on Communication Plan and Capital Funding for CMS Improvements —Alan Hopeman, Jim Brandl, Steve Brantner b. Discussion on Start Times for Oakwood and Greenwood Elementary Schools — Alan Hopeman 4. Human Resources a. Board Member Representatives for Negotiations — Annie Doughty 5. School Board a. Board Reports 1) LAC Update 2) Board Development Plan b. Tentative Board Agenda — Greg Baufield, Board Members, Paul Beilfuss 1) March 15, 2004 — Regular Meeting 6. Adiourn OBE/1 POSTED: 2/19/04 J� rj'ymMINN>;°tTTK FIRE -RESCUE PLYMOUTH FIRE DEPARTMENT 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, Minnesota 55447 763-509-5120 FIRE -RESCUE INCIDENT OF INTEREST DATE: February 15, 2004 TIME: 5:44 p.m. ADDRESS: 4365 Ithaca La. DETAILS: Numerous calls were received on Sunday evening February 15`h reporting a house fire. First arriving Chief 1 (Kline) reported a two story residential dwelling with heavy fire showing from the attached three car garage, with the fire extending into the dwelling unit. ToNver 11 crew members (Nordby, Specken, Perbix, Weldon) were split to perform concurrent operations. A 2" handline was advanced to the garage front to begin fire suppression, while the Tovs-er (Specken, Hurr) was placed in-service with their master stream. Ladder 31 (Blake, Sheldon, Foley, Cooper, Evans, Korsmo) advanced additional handlines and opened walls/ceiling inside the dwelling to stop fire extension. Engine 11 (D.Carlson, Elliott, Seeman) provided RIT function. There were no firefighter or civilian injuries. Thirty-two Plymouth fire personnel responded to the scene or where on stand-by. RESPONSE TIME: 9 minutes FIRE ORIGIN/CAUSE: Garage. Improper use of flammable material (gasoline). Gasoline vapors ignited by adjacent space heater. ESTIMATED FIRE LOSS: 5280.000. P.F.D. RESPONDING UNITS: ASSISTING AGENCIES: Engine Companies: E -11,E -21,E-31 EMS: Yes Ladder Companies: L-31, TW -11, A-21 Red Cross: No Support Units: Salvation Army: Yes Rescue Companies: R-11 Public Works: Yes Chief Officers: C-1, C-2, C-31 State FM: No Mutual Aid: Wayzata (scene), West Metro (stand-by) SECTOR OFFICERS: Chief Kline (Command) Ff Ricker (Command Aide), Lt. Weldon/Couser (Interior), Ff Julseth (Relief/Rehab). Draft Minutes AVM Meeting, January 22, 2004 Present: Shane Missaghi, John Barten, Steve McComas, Bill Leonard, Dave McCormack, Karla Anderson, Terrie Christian, Liz Thornton, Karen Chesebrough, Mark Peterson, Scott Gordon Minutes from December 2003 Meeting approved. Bill Leonard reports that 107 residents signed up for CLP treatment in their riparian corridor for the city of Medicine Lake. This is the majority. It was sent out with The Medicine Laker Publication and they will send it out again in next month with The Medicine Laker with a color brochure explaining CLP. Bill has also made a presentation to the City of Medicine Lake Fire Department. Their city is well on its way for education and citizen participation Shane and Karen will present the information at the Plymouth City Council Shane reports that he has been getting a lot of calls since the information was mailed. Probably at least 30 citizens have contacted him with nothing but positive feedback. We have applied for a grant from the DNR funding to restore 2 shoreline park areas plus 10 homeowners, the committee agreed to fund the 2 parks total request $10,000, however, Dave McCormick said $20,000 will be suitable for those two sites for just the 2 public sites. The grant will be funded for fiscal year 2005. The sites are at the east beach, and north of the gate at the west beach. The sites are public for showcase and citizen education, but in future years DNR would be open to future grants for private property. Shane ...grant. Water quality ponds Terre brought up TMDL conference that she and Karla Anderson attended at Concordia College in summer 2003. The City of Minneapolis has done a number of water quality pond projects and we learned that they felt that for the best results they would recommend separating out the work. The engineering company should do ponds and a restoration company should do the landscaping and planting. Mark says the way it can work is to do subcontracting to the restoration company. Karla said that AMLAC helped for planting the restoration project at the East Beach in 2003 and asks is the DNR one the same? Shane we are goir1g to need help, but have to rewrite the grant so the plan is fluid. Dave says volunteers are a very good thing because DNR is more likely to give more dollars if volunteers gave work. 4U Shane AVM Shoreland Restoration Grant update: A total of 5% of the shoreline of the lake has been approved for grants this year, if we can continue this for 4 years it will be a significant part of the lake over the years. City staff have already met with the homeowners, plans have been made, total project 800-1200 dollars. City of Plymouth will pay 90 and homeowners 10%. To choose sites to award grants to, we focused on areas of meaningful restoration where erosion was happening.... not just beautification. The Applicants are excited to work with us. Next year, to get more people we may ask homeowners to pay a bigger %. The same amount, 45,000 is budgeted for 2005. Steve asked how many original inquiries were sent out to Plymouth residents. Shane said: 30-40. The city owns some of these properties, (where there is a road between the home and the lakeshore, but the homeowners are using it for docks and boats etc. Slow no wake zone ordinance The committee next discussed the addition to the slow, no wake ordinance proposed new language. Karen suggested that a clarification is needed and that it would help to change the order, make it wording so that it is clear that the no wake zone for protected area of vegetation. She suggested to switch them around so that B is first, Dave will check to see if DNR has to approve.... both Plymouth and Medicine Lake will adopt the same ordinance language. Bill asked about the ordinance for bull rush area. Will people understand it is about the wave action and their boat travel affecting the plants? Mark said that in his experience people understand it. There is always somebody who will not comply, but most will respect the restrictions. Scott asked about boat travel waves versus the wind action waves. John said that a normal lake under natural conditions, there is just periodic wind. But boats can be an all the time more constant wave formation. John said it has been demonstrated on the St. Croix River that there is significant damage from boats. Bill asked about limiting size and number of boats John said that we have a limit of 57 trailer parking spots at park, if the spaces are full others have to wait for a boat to come off the lake before another can launch. John, B a greater than no wake speed,,,, where, wherever there is signs. ie on each and every day of the week. Mark says people will read the canister out on the lake. Bill we need to have an educational sign that tells how this is protecting the vegetation.... it could also be included in the ordinance itself. Dave suggests the sign should say something like slow no wake zone within 100 feet of emergent vegetation. Steve reminds us the map could change. Shane will work on this and have a draft for next time. Shane has to put any new verbiage in definition section of ordinance... Shane will e-mail new wording proposal..... Mark, process of approval through DNR and the state, which may take some time. Dave says that he cannot predict how long it will take... John says not to define it as an ordinance change, but as a rule change. Shane mentioned how phosphorus ordinance used that method in changing from commercial applicators to homeowners and did not have to go through the whole process again. So we know that works. Bill, will figure it out if this is part of the highwater ordinance or is this separate. Scott had a question about protection at mouth of north arm. Terrie explained that there is native vegetation there that the committee agreed should be protected, and the width of the entry into the bay has been measured, and found to allow boat traffic in at higher speeds if they stay in the middle. The concern was about the skiers who use the north arm being able to keep their speed up. CLP Permit update Dave He has sat down with a few of the DNR staff. They want to add more specific language in specific goals they will give us the language to make sure that the data we collect is scientifically correct. We should get the changes from DNR in next week or so. Some language also needed to change in the monitoring plan. This plan is for a 3 year variance we want to see data every winter to see what we found. For example, stem density, biomass data etc. Therefore, we need language about the ongoing monitoring. Dave sees that this is exceptionally likely to be approved. Bill, 65% of lakeshore is represented Budget for CLP Treatment There was a question about the budget. It is projected to cost about $90,000 per year. So it would be $300,000 then over 3 years of the planned treatment variance. What does that do to the budget for the AVM for other things? For next time Shane will be bring former budget and we can work on projection. There are 47 Plymouth residents yet to respond. We hope some of them come in next mailing, after that we will follow-up with phone calls, etc. Again, Shane says the phone has been ringing non stop and all feedback has been positive. One mistake in the letter: it would have been better had we said we have done the inventory of CLP and we do see it in your shoreline area, and we do need to treat it. For next year, we will include that kind of a statement in the letter that goes out. Mark expressed concern about riparian rights confusion. if v February 4, 2004 at 6 pm public information meeting is scheduled at the Plymouth Creek Center. Karen. People want to know what is going to grow in its place Steve reports that in other lakes that have treated CLP that a nice diversity of native plants and the native plants have out -competed even Eurasion Milfoil. It is usually a non nuisance type of growth. Mark, wants to make sure people understand that plants will be there, just different plants suggests another mailing. Liz suggests putting this in the environmental extra. Bill asks abou the Army Corp of Engineers. How was it in success? Our scientists reported that it did reduce the curly leaf, and improved water quality, but the data is not published yet, can't be distributed yet. Shane will see if we canzend yellow information sheet out Shane brought up discussion about the RFP. It has been decided to write a paragraph send to applicators and ask them to send a proposal. Shane will be meeting with Kevin Krutch of Lake Restoration. Dave gave Wendy Crowell's conditions of treating at right time of year etc. Shane will send it out to the applicators. Steve says the 3 applicators that are the main ones have all done CLP work and they will be able to figure it out .... time frame 55 to 60 degrees, and the CLP is not at the surface, but approximately 2 feet below. Steve reports it will not take them long to do 300 acres, maybe only a day or 2. Next meeting Feb 19, 2004 Proposed topics: Rough fish control RFP Permit Terrie brought up about the memo from Ted Hoshal about Solar Bee product. Steve and John said it is an aeration product. It has already been decided by the Medicine Lake Committee that aeration is not part of the plan. It works well on small lakes, but not ones the size of Medicine Lake. Terre will follow up with Ted. Minutes by Terrie Christian q1 From: Rick Busch Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 8:35 AM To: Don Crawford Cc: Diane Evans Subject: Plymouth Fieldhouse This note is in response to your inquiry about the Plymouth fieldhouse. Regarding rules, we do have many posted outside and inside the dome. We don't condone swearing, spitting on the turf, blowing noses onto the turf or other similar behavior. I've personally talked to many groups and coaches about those things. We have a fieldhouse supervisor on duty normally during any rentals (I do handle some of the weekday and early afternoon rentals). The supervisor is supposed to be in the dome for field changeovers and random inspections (every 15-20 minutes). We often have hundreds of people on the track and on the field which gives us a great challenge in rule enforcement. We do get much assistance from dome users reporting violations. We've tried to be diligent in keeping objects off the track. Your estimate of 20% of the users causing the problem is probably high. I'd say less than 5% of the users cause 95% of our problems. In the future if you see any inappropriate behavior, please report it to the supervisor. If there is not one on duty, please come to my office next door in the Activity Center and let me know. We will put a stop to it. If you have other questions, let me know. Rick Busch Facility Manager Plymouth Creek Center 763-509-5281 From: Don Crawford] Sent: Friday, February 13, 2004 5:08:18 PM To: Web Contact (General) Subject: For the Mayor and City Council Auto forwarded by a Rule I sent the following email to the Plymouth Creek Center and thought that you should see it as well. To Whom It May Concern: I have a question along with a recommendation. First, are there any rules or guidelines that must be followed when using the covered field? I run on the track and notice some behaviors that I feel should not take place there such as, equipment and equipment bags being left on the walking track by high school students, students spitting on the track as well as on the field and believe it or not blowing their noses on the track as well as the field. Are these actions accepted by the City of Plymouth? How about the absolutely foul language that I constantly hear from these students? Is that accepted as well? There are a lot of older people that seem to use this facility and I think it is terrible that they have to put up with this type of behavior. The old 80/20 rule probably applies here. 80% of the problem is probably committed by 20% or less of the people. I get the feeling from some of these young men that this facility is there for them and to he_ _ with everyone else. They stand around on the track and are not respectful of the people using the track for running or walking. The older people have to go around them and often times I have seen them put their arms in the air to avoid being hit by a Lacrosse stick. do not think these problems are the responsibility of the attendants at the facility. They should be the responsibility of the coaches of these teams. I believe the coaches should give instruction to their teams and if they can't follow instruction they should not be allowed further use of the field. Please forward this email to the appropriate party. I would like to hear what the City of Plymouth has to say about these matters. I know I speak for more than just myself. There are a lot of women as well as young children that use this facility as well. Must they put up with the vulgar language and behavior? Thanks for your time Don Crawford 4s- Q) m (6 v E o U C N ro 'C O U ro a U_ U U W:. O O ti N y .in cp C O p 7 O C = : 2 'v, V O — N U c s s Q o -- L ro ro ro a� p c o rq o0 N N 9 i c o� Do V N N ca 0 y 7 O d w z 0 T e.. lu v V U o o s V V O N O N V LTA C E ID CY c Q 3 U ro ro C z cpa i C1 Gi Ci p 4 V C V N M � V1 V' l— 00 � 4s- Q) m (6 . i 6J' d'A A F f t' • CITY OF PLYMOUTR February 19, 2004 «First Name» «Last Name «Address» «City», «State» «Zip» Dear « First Name»: You have been appointed to the Surface Water Task Force to develop options for pond cleaning, flooding and drainage issues and related funding. The first meeting will be held on Saturday, March 6`h beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Council Chambers at Plymouth City Hall, 3400 Plymouth Blvd., Plymouth, MN. You will receive a packet of material to review prior to the meeting. If you are unable to attend, please call Sheila Langer at 763-509-5056. Thank you for your service to the City of Plymouth. Judy A. Johnson Mayor PLYMOUTH -'I Bcauti fii(Pfacc to Linc 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD • PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447-1482 • TELEPHONE (763) 509-5000 0: - www.b.plymouth.mmus First Name Last Name Gracy Azine Karla Anderson Cal Baldry Bonnie Bronstad Steve Chesebrough Paul Christgau Terrie Christian Richard Dunn Jack Gassner James Griffin SURFACE WATER TASK FORCE Address 4160 Lawndale Lane 1810 Magnolia Lane No. 1115 Peony Lane 13420 60th Place No. 11255 36th Place No. 4325 Jonquil Lane No. 9910 South Shore Drive 17815 4th Ave. No. 5570-1 Nathan Lane No. 1853032 nd Ave. No. City Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth State MN MN MN MN MN MN MN MN MN MN Zip 55446 55441 55447 55446 55441 55442 55441 55447 55442 55447 Lee Keeley 16525 Birch Briar Trail Plymouth MN 55447 Herb Marth 16420 41 st Ave. No. Plymouth MN 55446 Richard Manthe 3010 Alvarado Plymouth MN 55447 Larry Marofsky 2835 Medicine Ridge Road Plymouth MN 55441 Don L. Maxwell 2630 Medicine Lake Blvd. E. Plymouth MN 55441 Jack Moe 1955 Lanewood Lane No. Plymouth MN 55442 Gary Ness 5350 Larch lane Plymouth MN 55442 Tom Orr 317 Deerwood Lane Plymouth MN 55446 Kathy Osborne 14905 38th Place North Plymouth MN 55446 Keith Pizzala 2700 Pineview Lane No. Plymouth MN 55441 Dick Plufka 4095 Terraceview Lane Plymouth MN 55446 Tov Rezabek 17420 49th Ave. No. Plymouth MN 55446 David Roy 1385 Kingsview Lane No. Plymouth MN 55447 Pete Savage 16255 38th Place Plymouth MN 55446 Robert Schafer 17700 38th Ave. No. Plymouth MN 55446 Jerry Unger 10607 57th Place No. Plymouth MN 55442 Mark Wollschlager 4785 Valley Forge Lane No. Plymouth MN 55442 2/19/2004 SUBJECT: VARIANCE TO THE CITY'S NOISE REGULATIONS Dear Owner/Occupant: This letter is written to inform you that Lametti & Sons, Inc., on behalf of Metropolitan Council Environmental- Services, submitted a planning application (under file 2004011) requesting approval of a variance to the City's Noise regulations. The variance would - allow nighttime cleaning of the existing sanitary sewer line located along the Nathan Lane right-of-way between the Chicago Northwestern Railroad tracks and Highway 55. The high volume of sewage flow through this sewer line during daytime hours requires that the sewer line be cleaned at nighttime. The sewer cleaning would take place from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. between March 9 and March 31, 2004. The noise levels for this sewer cleaning operation would not exceed the nighttime noise standards set by the State. A location map of the proposed location is included for review. .While a formal Public Hearing is not required, it is the City's policy to inform adjacent property owners/occupants of such applications. Hennepin County records indicate your property is within 200 feet of the site of this proposal. This request may be administratively approved 20 days after the date of this notice. INFORMATION relating to this request may be examined at the Community Development Information Counter, at Plymouth City Hall on Mondays and Wednesday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., except holidays. If you have any questions about the specifics of this proposal, please contact the Community Development Department at (763) 509-5400. Sincerely, 'On', Ga �G%`'< h Barbara G. Senness, AICP Planning Manager 2004011 propnotice Va PLYMOUTH A Beautiful Place to Live 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD • PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447-1482 • TELEPHONE (763) 509-5000 O "��°� www.ciclvmQuth_mn.us February 20, 2004 Dear Property Owner: SUBJECT: VARIANCE FOR HARTY'S BOATS (2004007) Pursuant to the provisions of the Plymouth Zoning Ordinance, this is to inform you of a request by Harty's Boats and Bait LLC, under File 2004007, for a conditional use permit to extend and reconfigure the existing docks located at 1920 and 2900 East Medicine Lake Blvd. Hennepin County records indicate your property is within 500 feet of the site of this proposal. You are hereby notified of, and cordially invited to attend a Public Hearing to be held by the Plymouth Planning Commission at 7:00 p.m., on Wednesday, March 3, 2004 in the City Council Chambers at the Plymouth City Hall, 3400 Plymouth Boulevard. The public will be invited to offer questions and comments concerning this application at that time, or feel free to call the City Planning Department at (763) 509- 5450 for more information. INFORMATION relating to this request may be examined at the Community Development Information Counter (lower level), on Mondays and Wednesday through, Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00. p.m., except holidays. nr:^N. ='^t� :..°2NM?m'4'.gf3111 \'Y!?•-:Y::J:i:77-Ll-f-11:Lr,LLLI,-1:I'F 11,-::: µ Sincerely, Barbara G. Senness, AICP Planning Manager 2004007propnotice PLYMOUTH A Beautifu[Pface to Live 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD • PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447-1482 • TELEPHONE (763) 509-5000 &­_,_ www 6plymouth.mn.us SUBJECT: VARIANCE FOR JAMES AND DEBRA MCGILL (2004009) Dear Owner/Occupant: This letter is written to inform you that James and Debra McGill, under file 2004009, submitted a planning application requesting approval of a variance to exceed the maximum impervious surface coverage to allow construction of a room addition for property located at 17220-19`h Avenue North. While a formal Public Hearing is not required, it is the City's policy to inform adjacent property owners/occupants of such applications. Hennepin County records indicate your property is within 200 feet of the site of this proposal. You are hereby notified of and cordially invited to attend a meeting to be held by the Plymouth Planning Commission at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 3, 2004, in the City Council Chambers at the Plymouth City Hall, 3400 Plymouth Boulevard. INFORMATION relating to this request may be examined at the Community Development Information Counter, at Plymouth City Hall on Mondays and Wednesday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., except holidays. If you have any questions about the specifics of this proposal, please contact the Community Development Department at (763) 509-5400. Sincerely, Barbara G. Senness, AICP Planning Manager 2004009propnotice 50 PLYMOUTH A Beautiful Place to Live 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD • PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447-1482 • TELEPHONE (763) 509-5000 CITY OF February 20, 2004 PLYMOUTH - SUBJECT: REZONING AND PRELIMINARY PLAT FOR SVK DEVELOPMENT (2004003) Dear Property Owner: Pursuant to the provisions of the Plymouth Zoning Ordinance, this letter is to inform you of a request by SVK Development, under File 2004003, for rezoning from FRD (Future Restricted Development District) to RSF-3 (Single Family Detached 3) and a preliminary plat to create five single-family lots on the 9.89 acre parcel located on the south side of West Medicine Lake Drive and approximately 300 feet west of Northwest Boulevard. Hennepin County records indicate your property is within 750 feet of the site of this proposal. You are hereby notified of, and cordially invited to attend a Public Hearing to be held by the Plymouth Planning Commission at 7:00 p.m., on Wednesday, March 3, 2004 in the Council Chambers at the Plymouth City Hall, 3400 Plymouth Boulevard. The public will be invited to offer questions and comments concerning this application at that time, or feel free to call the City Planning Department at (763) 509-5450 for more information. INFORMATION relating to this request may be examined at the Community Development Information Counter (lower level), on Mondays and Wednesday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., except holidays. Sincerely, rVP2" '�M�LV_ Barbara G. Senness, AICP Planning Manager 2004003propnotice MR A PLYMOUTH A Beautiful Pface to Live 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD - PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447-1482 -TELEPHONE (763) 509-5000 ,,°°F' www.ci.plvmouth.mn.us Task Force on Metropolitan Governance Center of the American Experiment December 2003 TASK FORCE on METROPOLITAN GOVERNANCE PARTICIPANTS Chairman, Mr. Dean Riesen Hon. Bev Aplikowski Mr. Terry Forbord Hon. Fritz Knaak Sen. Gen Olson Mr. John Powell Hon. BIair Tremere Mr. Matt Van Slooten STAFF Rep. Mark Buesgens Mr. Daniel Hunt Hon. Peg Larsen Mr. Phil Olson Mr. John Shardlow Mr. David J. Unmacht Project Director, Annette Thompson Meeks Research Director, Jonathan Papik Table of Contents Preface ... ............ 7 Introduction .............. 9 ExecutiveSurnmary ........................................................................................................................ 11 History of Twin Cities Regional Governance................................................................................ 13 Evaluation of Twin Cities Regional Governance.......................................................................... 15 GuidingPrinciples.......................................................................................................................... 16 Recommendations New Model for Regional Development............................................................................ 17 Create State Agency to Replace Metropolitan Council .................................................. 20 RegionalSystems.............................................................................................................. 23 TransportationPlanning.................................................................................................... 25 LandUse............................................................................................................................ 26 Environment and Natural Resources................................................................................ 28 Housingand Redevelopment............................................................................................ 29 LocalGovernment............................................................................................................ 30 Conclusion ................. 32 Endnotes ................... 33 TaskForce Biographies.................................................................................................................. 34 Preface Five years ago, in introducing the Minnesota Policy Blueprint—American Experiment's 400 -page forerun- ner to this vital study of metropolitan governance—I wrote about how members of nineteen different task forces had tenaciously asked questions such as: What should state government do? What should it not do? And how can it do what it does much better? I wrote that the project had been animated by clear-cut principles, including deeply held convictions that "government's reach must be limited, and individual responsibility must be enhanced," and that "economic liberty and growth are best served by low -tax, low -regulation policies." I noted how analyses and recommendations (we wound up with about 250 of the latter) had been informed by confidence in the "effectiveness and efficiency of markets" and, obversely, by a recognition that "government is almost always a poor micromanager." In sum, I argued that the project's goal was to be "self-consciously provocative but always grounded." Or, from another vantage point, the Blueprint was to be "pictured as vigorously pushing scores of envelopes, stopping well short each time of ungluing anything essential." By every one of these measures, the following report by the "Task Force on Metropolitan Governance" is ar exceptional successor to that exceptionally useful venture. I am very proud of this new study and thank enormousl% everyone on the panel, starting with chairman Dean Riesen, project director Annette Meeks, and research director Jonathan Papik, for a contribution large enough to stretch over several thousand square miles of local hills and all manner of dales. As with everything we do at the center, we welcome your comments. Mitchell B. Peartstein Presiden t Center of the American Experiment December 2003 Introduction Five years ago, American Experiment released the Minnesota Policy Blueprint, a massive study that examined nearly every aspect of the executive branch of state government. I say nearly every aspect because an extraordinary set of circumstances caused the chapter on the Metropolitan Council to be excluded from the original book. In 1997, my project co-director, Chris Georgacas, and I recruited over one hundred fifty individuals from various walks of life to lead twenty task forces that covered the entire executive branch of state government. Task Force Seventeen, aptly named "Task Force on Metropolitan Governance," was chaired by Tim Pawlenty, who was then an Eagan legislator. In March of that year, a series of unforeseen events forced Chris to leave the project. With Chris's unexpected departure and given the enormous scope of the project, American Experiment's board of directors concluded that I should discontinue work on any task force that hadn't begun meeting. Fortunately only the Task Force on Metropolitan Governance (and one other unrelated to the executive branch) fell into that category. Personally, I have felt compelled now for nearly five years to complete the study of the entire executive branch by reconstituting a Metropolitan Council Task Force. So, starting in October of 2002 I did just that. Our previously recruited chairman was, shall we say, otherwise engaged last fall and we were fortunate to recrui_ Dean Riesen, a prominent local businessman familiar with the Metropolitan Council and former member of American Experiment's board of directors, to fill the void. Dean and I put together a serious group of individuals from various walks of life to examine every aspect of the Met Council from a conservative and free-market perspective. While it took us nearly a year to complete this process. I believe that we've developed a deliberative and constructive "blueprint" that could serve as a development guide for the region during the next thirty years. Why study the Metropolitan Council at all? Since its inception, the Met Council has been one of the most controversial and divisive aspects of state govern- ment. And whether we realize it or not, it touches all of our lives daily. Metropolitan Council Chairman Peter Bell likes to describe the council by saying that "90 percent of the public does not know what the council does, and the remaining 10 percent go to bed preoccupied with our every move." That pretty much sums up what most people know about the Metropolitan Council and its controversial legislative mandate. While some regional government foes have waged annual campaigns to abolish the agency outright, it has sur- vived every attempt on its life, often emerging at the end of the battle with an expanded mandate and ever-increasing budget. The ability of this un -elected body to levy taxes on residents of the seven counties enrages foes of the Met Council. The council's use of eminent domain continues to make front-page news. And everyone in the state seems to have an opinion on the controversial Hiawatha Light Rail line that the Metropolitan Council will operate begin- ning next April. The question of accountability is also an ever-present item in discussions about the council. Friends and foes in the legislature have tried to make the council an elected body. Despite the support of key legislators on opposite sides of the aisle—including Tim Pawlenry and council super -advocate Myron Orfield—the Metropolitan Council remains unelected. It was these and many other important questions that compelled the fourteen members of the Task Force on Metropolitan Governance to meet for six months during 2003. We concluded early on in our deliberations that our purpose was different than the my-. other Metropolitan Council task forces that had gone before us. Our goal was to produce recommendations that are thoughtful, provocative, and prescient—in the tradition of the Minnesota legisla- tors who came up with this unique idea of regional government back in 1967. You could say this report has something for everybody. m Developers, business owners, homeowners, and proponents of free-market economics will be pleased to see we have recommended the abolition of the Metropolitan Urban Services Area, commonly known as the MUSA line. This arbitrary line suppresses the supply of developable land in the region and has contributed to a host of problems including high land prices and leapfrog development. m Met Council advocates will delight in the fact that we agree that there are definite benefits to good regional plan- ning. Community planners and taxpayer advocates agree that there are significant cost savings available if we better coor- dinate our regional systems in our fast-growing region. Our task force has quite a few recommendations on how to achieve these lofty goals. m Environmentalists and taxpayers have been well served by the outstanding long-range planning conducted by the wastewater management division of the Metropolitan Council. We advocate further exploration of system efficiencies in wastewater management and transportation. m Almost everyone involved in regional government and planning agrees that our region expanded far beyond the designated seven counties years ago. It's time to expand the regional systems to more clearly reflect the growing Twin Cities region. Our report contains a lot of ideas on hog; and why the legislature should do this as soon as possible. But most importantly, our task force discovered that it's time to have a civil discussion about our region and its urgent needs. Congestion and groundwater pollution—not to mention the government's need to find even greater erTi- ciencies with precious tax dollars—should prompt serious discussion of these proposals by legislative leaders A study of this magnitude wouldn't have been possible without the invaluable service provided by many old American Experiment friends (and some new ones acquired during the process) . Specifically I'd like to thank the follow- ing indi%liduals and organizations for their willingness to share their expertise and experience with our task force: Jay Lindgren, Gene Ranieri, Keith Carlson, Bob Schunicht, Mike Wigley, Chris Georgacas, John A. Charles, Agnes Ring, Erik Rudeen, Remi Stone, Ryan Kaess, Deputy State Auditor Tony Sutton, Pat Everheart, Brian Strub, Bill Gerst, Glenn Dorfman, Don Patton, and Representative Phil Krinkie. Also, the Builders Association of the Twin Cities and the Minnesota Realtors provided timely and extensive background research for which we're grateful. Finally-, profound thanks goes to Beth Widstrom-Anderson and Judd Schetnan, rwo exceptional Metropolitan Council staff members who often went above and beyond the call of duty to assist us in obtaining obscure but important documents. I owe a substantial debt of gratitude to Governor Tim Pawlenty for appointing me, in the midst of this project, to become a member of the Metropolitan Council. Serving alongside outstanding Metropolitan Council leadership, includ- ing Chairman Peter Bell and Regional Administrator Tom Weaver, has been the greatest learning experience I could have hoped for. While this study may be complete, my Metropolitan Council education certainly is not. I look forward to working with fellow council members as we strive to continually improve the quality of life in the region. I also would be remiss if I didn't say a profound thank you to our task force members in general and our chairman, Dean Riesen, in particular. This earnest group of community leaders dedicated a significant portion of heir spring and summer to this project and for that, we're enormously grateful. This project wouldn't have been possible without their thoughtful deliberations as well as their dedication to an exceptional finished project. I.t goes without saying that an extraordinary amount of background research was compiled for the task force to review. I was fortunate early in the project to find Jonahan Papik, an earnest young college student that I recruited (tN%gst- ed his arm sounds too strong) to become the task force research director. Jonathan's excellent writing skills, his calm and deliberative personality, as well as his thorough research paved a smooth path for the task force. And he did all of this while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average. Finally, I thank our American Experiment board of directors and contributors as well as our president, Mitch Pearistein, for their support of this project. Not too many state -based think tanks delve responsibly and substantially into state government issues. Minnesotans are so fortunate to have a state -based think tank that provides and provokes public policy alternatives -with the creativity and thoughtfulness that has been our hallmark now for nearly fourteen years. I sin- cerely hope that this report continues that tradition. Annette Thompson Meeks Project Director December 2003 Executive Summary When Minnesotans first hear that a conservative group convened a task force to make recommendations on metropolitan governance, they may assume that the need for regional planning of any kind was summarily dismissed. That is not our sentiment. We believe one of the original premises of the Metropolitan Council—planning regionally for major infrastructure investments—has saved the region financially and is still valid today. Likewise, the coordina- tion of comprehensive plans with both the regional system plans and the plans of surrounding communities is essential and should continue. The Metropolitan Council has been a far from perfect experiment, though. Through both the legislature's will- ingness to continually assign the council new functions and the council's failure to properly carry out its core mission. a number of problems have arisen. Those problems include the following: m Skyrocketing land prices. In recent years, the council has failed to adequately expand upon what was once En abundant land supply. As a result. land prices are skyrocketing in the metro area. The increase in land costs is inevitably reflected in increased costs of housing and commercial buildings. Ironically, the Metropolitan Council subsi- dizes affordable housing in an attempt to solve a problem that is. greasy exacerbated by its own policies. m Exurban growth. The tight land supply has contributed to rapid exurban growth in counties outside the Metropolitan Council's jurisdiction. Developers, businesses, and homebuyers have predictably followed the market to where land is abundant and prices are lower. Exurban growth has increased the pressure on a transportation system n designed to carry large numbers of commuters into the seven -county area on a daily basis. Although the region is clearly wider today than the seven -county Metropolitan Council area, the council continues to operate as though the region ends at the seven -county boundaries. m Problems with large -lot development. The failure to accommodate the orderly expansion of urban develop- ment has resulted in the proliferation of large iots without sewers, a barrier to further urbanization. As a result, much of the regional equity invested in the centralized wastewater treatment system has been squandered. m Overregulation. The Metropolitan Council drives up costs through unnecessary regulation. The Metropolita- Council reviews projects for environmental impact, in addition to the review completed by local units of governmem. the Pollution Control Agency, the Department of Natural Resources, and other state and federal agencies. m Straying from core mission. The Metropolitan Council has become increasingly concerned with social plan- ning. Recent documents are filled with information that promotes the so-called "smart growth" agenda. Directing growth through social planning has distracted the organizaton from it legitimate mission of accommodating growth through infrastructure planning. We believe the problems we have outlined demonstrate that the regional governance structure is not working properly. One of the fundamental reasons for engaging in regional planning is to protect long-term public and private investment. The availability of services and an understanding of the change provided for in local comprehensive plar-3 give investors a necessary level of certainty. The current system, however, adds great uncertainty both in terms of land supply and in duplicative layers of review. While we believe change is needed, we have not abandoned many of the premises upon which the Metropolitan Council was founded. Our recommendations are grounded in free-market prin- ciples and a belief that it is wise to plan regionally for major infrastructure investment and to coordinate local commu- nity plans with the regional systems plans. A summary of our recommendations follows. We recommend that: m The legislature amend the Metropolitan Land Planning Act to create a new model for regional development. The cornerstone of the new model would be long-term master plans for each of the original four major metropolitan s- tems: airports, parks and open space, transportation, and wastewater treatment. These master plans would serve to coordinate local comprehensive plans. Local units of government would have the freedom to determine the char- acter of their community, but would be held accountable for the financial consequences of their decisions, in a far more direct manner than ever before. m A new state agency—rather than the Metropolitan Council—administer the new model. The legislature should clearly and narrowly define the mission of the state agency as regional systems planning. We believe the legislature should also hold the agency accountable through oversight of its activities and approval of the regional planning framework. A state agency with a clear mission and broad legislative oversight would possess an inherent legitimate the Metropolitan Council has never had. m A generous land supply serviced by regional infrastructure be maintained to ensure homebuyers, businesses, and developers a wide variety of flexibility and choice. The generous land supply, as opposed to the current policy, would help stabilize land prices in the metropolitan area. m The regional systems not be limited by the boundaries of the seven -county area. Rather, they should respond to ti!e true boundaries of the Twin Cities region and anticipate the likely future geographic limits of each of the respective systems. Significant cost savings would be available to the wider area if regional system service and a coordinated planning process were extended to the true geographic region. m The Metropolitan Council cease performing tasks carried out by other government agencies. Housing programs anr' environmental review are duplicative and should be left to other entities. m Revolving loan funds for reinvestment replace the Metropolitan Council's Livable Communities program. We believe there is nothing wrong with the goals of the Livable Communities program, but we disagree with how thoSe goals are achieved. m The new state agency seek to operate the regional systems as cost-effectively as possible. The state should do so by examining all of the options available to provide wastewater treatment and transit to the metropolitan region. These options should include selling the plants and transit facilities outright to private entities; maintaining owne_- ship and contracting out operations; transferring the operation of systems to another state agency; and maintaining the current system of ownership and operation. Our ultimate goal is not necessarily privatization; it is providing regional system service as efficiently as possible. As the Twin Cities region continues to grow and develop, we cannot afford to ignore the controversy and com- plications associated with the current Metropolitan Council. We believe our recommendations keep the best ideas of the council intact, replace problematic components with free-market, common-sense solutions, and introduce needed- accountability eededaccountability to the process. The Metropolitan Council, when conceived, was expected to make the Twin Cities a national leader in ci%gc innovation. The future growth and development of our region can become one more example of Minnesota leading the nation if the legislature applies needed innovations to create a twenty-first century regional governance structure. History of Twin Cities Regional Governance The history of regional cooperation in the Twin Cities region can be traced back over sixty years. In 1939, the Minnesota Legislature created a joint sanitary sewer district, which included the cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and adjacent suburbs. 'The legislature recognized the potential savings available to cities if one major sewer system serve= the area rather than several smaller systems. A 1957 bill—aimed at regional cooperation—created the Metropolitan Planning Commission, which was direa ed to make plans for the "coordinated and harmonious development" of systems that were not confined to one local unit of govemment. z The plans made by the commission were primarily "suggestions" to municipalities concerning land use, public buildings, and city utilities and services. The Metropolitan Planning Commission was replaced by the Metropolitan Council in 1967. Failing septic sys- tems in outlying areas were a major factor in prompting the council's creation. Over 300,000 people on the edge of metropolitan area were pumping water out of wells and pouring waste into cesspools. The result was many contamir.-_ ed wells, which threatened the health of the public and local lakes and rivers.' The desire for a more efficient, regi=_ wide sewage treatment system and the potential to save money through a coordinated planning process pushed many legislators and local leaders to favor the creation of the Metropolitan Council. The legislature created the council to "coordinate the planning and development" of the metropolitan area. 7- council was to prepare a comprehensive guide and perform various suidies on the growth and development of the me_- ropolitan area. The original Metropolitan Council legislation placed the following seven counties within the councL s jurisdiction: Anoka, Garver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington. The council was to be governed b-, a fourteen -member board appointed by the governor.' The Metropolitan Transit Commission was also created in 196- to plan for and oversee the transit operations of the seven -county area—a function it performed until 19-04. In 1969, the council received more functions from the legislature. The legislature directed the council to con- duct planning for a metropolitan sewer system to be operated by a newly created Metropolitan Sewer Service Board.- This legislation also removed the need for local sanitary sewer districts, which were subsequently abolished. The Metropolitan Council was also charged with planning the locations o: solid waste disposal sites in 1969.-- In 969.In 1974, acting on recommendations made by the Metropolitan Council, the legislature expanded Lhe counci_'_ control over the metropolitan area's special purpose agencies—the Metropolitan Transit Commission (M TIC), the Metropolitan Waste Control Commission (MWCC), and the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC). The coup cil was empowered to appoint the members and approve the development programs of MTC and MWCC and was given the power to approve the capital expenditures of the MAC. The legislature also expanded the council's memb-=- ship to seventeen during the 1974 session. B In 1976, the legislature enacted a major change to the regional governance structure. Through the 1976 Metropolitan Land Planning Act, the legislature created a coordinated planning process for the metropolitan area based on local comprehensive planning and "land use controls."' The act established the Metropolitan Council as t agency responsible for designing system plans for four regional systerrll—aviation, parks and open space, transportati-=, wastewater management. One of the cornerstones of the regional systems was the Metropolitan Urban Services Area (MUSA), a geographic area designed to indicate where urban services would be available and, therefore, where mos of expected growth would occur. Under the Land Planning Act, each of the local governments i--1 the metropolitan area was required to prepare its own local comprehensive plans and submit them to the Metropolitan Council to "determine their compatibility u th each other and conformity with metropolitan system plans." The council was also given the authors to requi: a local governmental unit to change its comprehensive plan if the local plan would have a "substantial impact on or would represent a substantial departure from" metropolitan system plans. 10 As a result of these changes, the metrc- politan governance structure of the T win Cities was touted as a national model. The Metropolitan Council did not change significantly again until the passage of the 1994 Metropolitan Reorganization Act, which transferred the operation of the metropolitan transit and wastewater treatment systems to the Metropolitan Council. 11 This legislation also abolished the agencies that previously operated these regional systems—the Metropolitan Transit Commission, the Regional Transit Board, and the Metropolitan Waste Control Commission. The Metropolitan Parks and Open Space Commission and the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) remained under Metropolitan Council oversight. Some supporters favored the reorganization in the name of a streamlined regional governance structure; others believed a strong regional government was necessary to check urban sprawl and address income disparities between rich and poor. Regardless of an individual legislator's reasons for favoring the bill, by adding the operation of regional systems to the Metropolitan Council's purview, the legislature transformed what was an advisory planning agency into a much larger regional government agency. The change also removed a system of checks and balances in the metropolitan governance structure. Now the agency formerly responsible only for the planning of regional systems would also operate those same s}-stems- In }stems.In 1995, the Livable Communities Act was adopted by the legislature, adding to the scope of the Metropolitan Council. The act allowed the council to distribute grants in the metropolitan area to subsidize affordable housing and tran- sit -oriented developments. These grants, funded by metropolitan area property taxes, could also be used to clean up pollut- ed sites to allow for future redevelopment. 12 Since 1996, the council has distributed over $100 million in Livable Communities Grants. - Jesse Ventura, former mayor of Brooklyn Park, brought the Metropolitan Council to the forefront Ln the 1998 guber- natorial campaign when he vowed to abolish the council: The candidate's political statements did not match his policy actions as governor. The council saw changes during Governor Ventura's administration; however, those changes were mostly steady increases in the council's yearly budgets and a more prominent place in newspaper headlines, thanks to the leadership's aggressive promotion of so-called "smart growth" ideas. The implementation of "smart growth" policies led to the development of the region's first light rail line and a first of its kind court case between the council and the City of Lake Elmo over the city's proposed comprehensive plan. The council's willingness to be active and assertive in the Ventura years contributed to a more controversial, higher profile Metropolitan Council. Ventura's successor, Tim Pawlenty, also campaigned on a platform to scale down the Metropolitan Council. (In fact, in 1997 then -Representative Pawlenty attempted to bring greater accountability to the Metropolitan Council by co-authoring a bill that would have transformed the seventeen -member board from an appointed one to an elected one. While the bill passed both houses of the legislature, it was vetoed by Republican governor Ame Carlson.) In the first year of the Pawlenry administration the "smart growth" philosophy of the council has been toned down as the new members of the council created their own comprehensive planning and development guide. The council still functions as it has since 1994—planning for the four regional systems, reviewing the local comprehensive plans of hundreds of local governments, and operating transit (Lncluding the nearly complete Hiawatha Light Rail system, which is scheduled to begin operarion in April 2004), and wastewater treatment systems for the metropolitan area. The council (through 3,800 employees) will per- form this assortment of activities at a cost of $395 million in 2003. 1' The controversy and political debate over the Metropolitan Council remains in the legislature today. The council has its supporters and its detractors, lobbying for a more powerful council, no Metropolitan Council at ail, and everything in between. With this in mind, it seems highly appropriate to make an objective evaluation of the Metrcaolitan Council's activities in the last thirty years. Evaluation of Twin Cities Regional Governance No evaluation of the Metropolitan Council would be complete without taking a close look at the council's land- mark legislation. The 1976 Metropolitan Land Planning Act established the council as the agency responsible for preparing plans for four regional systems. The original Land Planning Act was guided by an ambitious projection that 4 million people would live in the seven -county area by 2000. Although this projection would prove to be consider- ably higher than the actual population total in 2000, this planning "mistake" greatly benefited the Twin Cities region. Because such a high population total was projected, an abundant supply of land was initially included in the Metropolitan. Urban Services Area (MUSA). In the first round of local comprehensive plans, nearly all communities adopted plans that called for urban densities. The result was, for the most part, orderly urban development in the cities that planned for growth. The Metropolitan Council has shown that it failed to learn an important lesson from the original process—a generous land supply is a benefit to the region. Because population projections are much more of an art than an exact science (see 1976 projection), more than the bare minimum of necessary land must be supplied. Furthermore, a gener- ous land supply gives consumers, businesses, and developers more flexibility and choice. It is simply unreasonable to assume that Metropolitan Council planners can control a complex process filled with dynamic market forces and many other government units to immediately produce land as soon as someone needs it. In recent years, however, the Metropolitan Council has attempted to control the land use of the region in this manner. Rather than accommodating growth by planning infrastructure for a generous land supply, the council, ignor- ing market preferences, assumed a tight land supply would encourage infill redevelopment. The tight land supply has ready produced several negative consequences. By deliberately constraining the sup- ply of the most important resource in housing and commercial construction—land—the Metropolitan Council has contributed to inflated housing and commercial land costs in the metro area. The last parcels of available land within the MUSA are highly sought after and, as a result, are very expensive. Ironically, the tight land supply has also contributed to the type of leapfrog, sprawling development the Metropolitan Council sought to prevent. Counties just outside the seven -county boundaries of the Metropolitan Council (Chisago, Isanti, LeSue.:r, Mille Lacs, McLeod, Rice, Sherburne, Sibley and Wright in Minnesota and Pierce, Polk, and St. Croix in Wisconsin) are experiencing rapid growth. %Vhile land is artificially scarce and price inflated inside the MUSA, there is an abundance of less-expensive developable land just outside the seven -county area. It is not a dif icult decision for businesses, developers, and homebuyers to follow the market just outside the Metropolitan Council's boundaries where the land is more readily available and the land prices are lower. The proliferation of unseivered large lots is another negative result of the tight -land supply policy. The failure to plan to accommodate the orderly expansion of urban development has resulted in the random development of large - acre lots on the suburban fringe, many of which are built on septic systems. While a legitimate housing option, these large -acre lots are a barrier to further urbanization because the cost to retrofit a public sewer and water system is enor- mous, making further development impossible in some cases. By failing to plan for the orderly expansion of urban development, the Metropolitan Council has squandered much of the regional equity found in the existing centralized wastewater treatment system. While the council has not been totally successful in executing its core mission of planning infrastructure to accommo iate_growth, it has, in recent years, been very «filling to take on additional social planning functions. Recent planning documents are filled wittii information on the provision of affordable housing and the wisdom of transit -ori- ented developments. In addition .o including affordable housing in planning documents, the council has shown a will- ingness to actually provide subsidies for affordable housing. The council administers a Metro Housing and Redevelopment Authority and a Family Affordable Housing Program in addition to the Livable Communities Program. Moreover, it could be argued that the planning for the Hiawatha Light Rail line had more to do with provid- ing social benefits to the corridor than providing cost-effective transit for the region. Directing growth through social planning has distracted the organization from its legitimate mission of accommodating growth through regional infra- sL-ucture planning. Arthur Naftalin and John Brandl wrote this about the Metropolitan Council in 1980: "The single most impor- tant factor in the (regional) strategy's success is its sustained mutually responsive relationship with the Minnesota Legislature." 11 In recent years, the relationship between the council and the legislature has grown less and less "mutu- ally responsive." The problems surrounding the organization have led members of both parties in the legislature to increasingly question the activities of the council. In 2001, then Representative Dan McElroy was successful in passing legislation that created a Legislative Commission on Metropolitan Government to oversee the budget and activities of the council. 18 In legislative sessions since, senators and representatives have been eager to support bills calling for greater oversight. While we believe that there is considerable wisdom in crafting regional plans to address regional issues, we believe that the Metropolitan Council's failure to plan for an adequate land supply, failure to focus on and execute its core mission, and failure to sustain an amicable relationship with the legislature demonstrate that the regional gover- nance structure is not working properly. Change is needed. Therefore, we have provided recommendations that we believe would improve the c,=ent arrangement. The following principles guided us as we developed our recommenda- ticns. Guiding Principles m The Twin Cities region continues to lead the Upper Midwest in population growth. The record-setting growth trend established during the past decade shows no sign of abatement. While we believe that future population growth is a good thing for our region, decisions must be made in favor of significant regional infrastructure invest- ment and market-based planning if future growth is to be accommodated efficiently. m We strongly support continued growth in our vibrant and prosperous region. While we support the right of local governments to make decisions aligned with the desires of their constituents, citizens and local elected officials should be made aware of the financial implications of planning decisions. m As the government closest to the people and most responsive to the needs and wants of its residents, local units of government, with well-informed leadership, should have the power to determine where, how dense, and how fast they want their communities to grow. m Local units of government should fully assume the long-term costs of their decisions —whether they choose to accommodate growth as it occurs or eschew growth in favor of preserving the rural character of a commu_-uty. m The core mission of a regional planning agency should be to plan for orderly growth rather than to limit it. It should accommodate the imminent growth by planning infrastructure investments in regional systems—aviation, parks and open space, transportation, and wastewater services. Infrastructure investments should be made in com- munities that wish to grow and have the market potential to do so. New Model for Regional Development Recommendation: The legislature should amend the 1976 Metropolitan Land Planning Act. The state legislature should amend the 1976 Metropolitan Land Planning Act to create a new paradigm for regional development. The new paradigm should function in the following manner: m Regional system master plans based on local comprehensive plans should be prepared and adopted pending legislative approval of a regional development framework; m The area of re, onal systems service should be expanded to serve the true geographic region; m Communities that adopt limited growth policies that result in increased infrastructure costs for the rest of the region should be assessed the incremental cost of the inefficiency; m The regional plan should err on the side of provision, planning the infrastructure for 6 million people to live in its service area by 2030; m The legislature should adequately fund the regional plan's infrastructure investments as capital improvements with set time periods to ensure their completion; m The entity responsible for the regional plan should have regional system planning and local government planning assistance as its only core functions; and m The organization responsible for the regional planning system should have no taxing authority. Recommendation: Design a concise, user-friendly Regional Development and Investment Framework, which focuses on the core mission of regional system planning. The Framework should be subject to legislative approval. Under state law, the Metropolitan Council is responsible for designing a comprehensive development guide for the seven -county region. The Regional Development and Investment Framework 1, and the four regional system plans, (aviation, recreation open space, transportation, and water resources management) constitute the Metropolitan Development Guide, which serves as "the fundamental policy guide for the region." This comprehen- sive document is designed to serve local cities and counties in the seven -county region as the}, develop their com- prehensive plans, which are then reviewed by the Metropolitan Council for conformity to the regional design. This process is repeated every ten years after completion of the federal census. 11 Against the wishes of the incoming administration, the outgoing Metropolitan Council adopted Blueprint 203019 on December 18, 2002. The council's new members, appointed in February of 2003 by newly elected Governor Pawlenty, spent much of 2003 reviewing Blueprint 2030 before deciding to start over on a new documer_r Blueprint 2030 was over 100 pages long and was accompanied by an even longer appendix. Some new members of the council believed that the Blueprint strayed from its legitimate function as a comprehensive development guide, devoting undue space to social planning, affordable housing, and the promotion of specific growth strategies. The original mission of the Metropolitan Council was developing long range plans for regional systems. We advocate designing a new Metropolitan Development Guide that focuses on that original, legitimate function. A succinct Regional Development and Investment Framework should be designed outlining where and how regional infrastructure investments will be made over. the next thirty years. The framework for regional investment should be limited to statutorily mandated systems—aviation, parks and open space, transportation, and wastewater treatment. Local officials would use this document as a guide when designing their own comprehensive plans to ensure that no conflict exists between the regional system plans and local plans. The framework should clearly identify the responsibilities of each of the local units of government. This doc- ument should also provide easy -to -understand, concise guidelines and cost estimates that would assist local units of government in designing their comprehensive plans and capital improvement programs. Guidelines should provide communities with several diverse development options rather than promoting certain types of development. Because of the widespread implications of the plan, the legislature should be charged with the approval of the framework. The legislature should approve or reject the framework on a treaty -style, up or down vote. The Regional Development and Investment Framework should be made easily accessible. It should be avail- able on the Internet, at the Capitol, at county courthouses, public libraries and at city halls throughout the re6ion. Recommendation: Based on submitted local comprehensive plans, the planning agency should develop master plans for the four regional systems. We envision local communities designing their own comprehensive plans with the assistance of the simplified Regional Development and Investment Framework. The framework would communicate -to those taking part in the process where regional system investments would be made in the future. Once the regional criteria were delineated, communities would be free to plan for development within those parameters. In response to market demand, local community members should build a consensus as to where, how much, how dense and how fast they want to VroW in the next thirty years. These local plans would be submitted to inform the contents of the regional master plans. The regional Taster plans would call for the extension of sewer pipe and other regional systems into the communities that planner for growth. While the funding mechanisms may remain the same, we recommend that the legislature authorize tilmely, appropriate, and responsible funding to build the infrastructure called for in the plans. Recommendation: Hold local units of government accountable for the consequences of limited growth decisions that affect the region's infrastructure costs. Minnesota has a longstanding tradition of adhering to and respecting the importance of local control in almost all aspects of public policy. While we respect the importance of communities determining their own des- tinies, we believe it is also important for those communities to accept the financial responsibilities that accompany local control. Specifically, the limited -growth policies of some cines have the potential to be costly for the res: of the region. For example, one city may not want to hook up to available sewer pipe in order to maintain or achieve a cer- tain character for their community. That community's growth policy results in increased costs for the entire re_ion because sewer pipe must be extended farther to accommodate growth and development in surrounding comm-�:ni- ties. We believe that while some degree of local control must be in place, local units of government that force high- er costs on the entire region should be held financially accountable for their decisions. Local units of government should have the freedom to choose not to utilize available infrastructure in or�er to achieve or maintain a certain character for their community. If a community chooses that option, however, it should be assessed the full incremental cost of the rejected infrastructure including but not limited to the cost of the sewer pipe. In addition, communities that choose not to utilize available infrastructure might face higher costs to receive regional transit services. These potential consequences should be clearly communicated to cities as they develop their comprehensive plans. It should be acknowledged that current Metropolitan Council policy does not function in this manner and attempts should not be made to change the system retroactively. Our recommendation is only applicable to future growth and development for the growing region, which would be clearly delineated in statute by the legislature. Furthermore, communities in the region must be given a chance to consider the financial implications of their pro- posed plans before any assessments are made. Abolish the Metropolitan Council and create a state agency to manage the new regional development model Recommendation: The legislature should create a state Department of Regional Planning. We believe that the regional growth and development model we have outlined would function best if adminis- tered by a new state -level department. The legislature should create the department and abolish the Metropolitan Council. The legislature should clearly outline in statute the responsibilities and limitations of the new agency and its commissioner. The existing Metropolitan Council is not a state agency. Instead, according to statute, it is a "public corporation and political subdivision of the state." 20 It functions as a regional government with jurisdiction in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington counties. While many of its functions have changed during the years, the geographic region has not. The chair of the council is appointed by the governor and represents the area at large. The other sixteen mem- bers are appointed by the governor and represent geographic areas statutorily defined by the legislature. All seventeen members serve at "the pleasure of the governor and must be confirmed by the senate. In a chapter he wrote for the 1999 book Minnesota Politics and Government, Wyman Spano describes how the council has been a source of contention since its creation. "Two separate regional governance plans were debated at the Capitol in 1967. One plan featured elected Metropolitan Council representatives with considerable authority to set policy. This robust configrration actually won support in the house but lost on a tie vote in the senate. What emerged was an appointed council 'that would be a coordinating body with no authority to provide service or set poli- cy.' The issue of authority has plagued the council ever since." 21 The significance and clout of the organization has varied throughout the past three decades but one constant remains: the debate over the relevance and necessity of the existing Metropolitan Council. We believe that the emerging Twin Cities region would be well served to have an effective state agency with a specific legislative mandate and broad legislative oversight to assist communities as they accommodate the additional 930,000 residents expected to live in the region by the year 2030. Recommendation: Remove the word "metropolitan" to reflect the difference beaveen the seven -county metropolitan area established in 1967 and the region as it exists today. The word "metropolitan" does not belong in the title of the department as the region exists today. The region has outgrown the seven -county box in which it was placed in the 1960s. Nearly one hundred thousand workers com- mute into the region from ouside the seven -county area every day, and rapid growth is taking place outside the exist- ing region. These factors and others provide evidence that the true region is a geographic area much wider than the seven counties selected for inclusion in 1967. Furthermore, many parts of the region, even portions within the seven - county area are in no way "metropolitan' in flavor. A name change is important in changing the focus from metropoli- tan to regional. We propose naming the new department the Department of Regional Planning. Recommendation: The legislature should narrowly limit the core mission of the Department of Regional Planning to regional system planning and local planning assistance. The legislature should narrowly limit the core mission of the Department of Regional Planning. Rather than being allowed to focus on the social aspects of regional development, the legislature should limit the activities of the department to planning for development of the four current regional systems and providing planning assistance to local communities. The department could also assume other statev.-ide, land use -related responsibilities such as annexation and detachment if directed in statute by the legislature. Recommendation: The governor should appoint a department commissioner with experience in regional development issues. Historically, there have been no requirements regarding the qualifications of Metropolitan Council members and chairpersons. The result has been an organization that is, by most accounts, dominated by a staff entrenched in cen in policy agendas. It is not unexpected that board members with little to no experience are apt to defer to staff memben with years of experience in the finer details of land use, transportation systems, and wastewater treatment. Many cu. - rent and former members of the council have suggested that their en re first year of service was devoted to learning about the core functions of the organization and understanding the roles of the council and the staff. As with any other state agency, we recommend that the governor appoint a department commissioner with e=e- rience in the issues at hand—in this case, regional development. The commissioner should have the opportunity to build a team of depury commissioners and other staff as would a commissioner of any other state department, A kno-& 1- edgeable commissioner and senior staff should provide some degree of insurance against the organization becoming _oo dominated by staff focused on a particular agenda. Furthermore, an incoming governor should have the opportunity io appoint a commissioner with compatible ideology. Recommendation: The department should receive oversight from the legislature, including Iegislative approval of the Regional Development & Investment Framework. A frequent complaint about the current Metropolitan Council s the lack of accountability between the mem- bers of the council and the citizens. The 1997 legislature passed a bi'Ll mandating metropolitan elections, which was subsequently vetoed by Governor Ame Carlson. Direct election of council members would certainly create a process where council members are accountable to voters, but we believe this would also create a process that is too politic_.ed and unnecessary. Under our plan, the elected and accountable state Legislature would play a greater role in the pla-_ ning process. The legislature should oversee the Department of Regional Plan -ming, reviewing its budgets and activities. The legislature would also be charged with ratifying the Regional Development and Investment Framework prepared by he department, on an up or down vote. Once the plans are approved, it would be imperative that the legislature also authorize the funding. for timely implementation of the systems plans. Recommendation: The legislature should abolish the seventeen -member Metropolitan Council. The creation of a state Department ofRegional Planning would remove the need for the current seventeen - member Metropolitan Council. In addition, placing state legislators in a position of accountability for regional plan- ning decisions negates the need for an unelected citizen board of any kind to oversee and set policy for the regional planning agency. Recommendation: The Department of Regional Planning should use an outside source for all population projections. The Metropolitan Council's plans for the infrastructure of the region are made decades in advance. Those long- range plans are based on population projections made by the Metropolitan Council staff up to thirty years in advance. We recommend that the state demographer or some other reputable, outside source make all population projections used by the state Department of Regional Planning in order -to ensure highly accurate and objective population projec- tions. Regional Systems Recommendation: The area served by regional systems should be expanded to economically provide regional systems service to the true geographic region. A disconnect exists between the ever-expanding regional area and the rigid seven -county limits in which the regional systems operate. Almost everyone familiar with the subject agrees that the seven -county area over which the Metropolitan Council was given authority in 1967 no longer reflects the true scope of the region. While there is some debate as to whether the entire region consists of eleven, thirteen, or seventeen Minnesota counties, the general con- sensus is that the region has outgrown the original seven -county area. The outdated application of the current arrangement is especially evident when considering the developing municipalities just outside the seven -county area. A 2000 Builders Association of the Twin Cities study identified forty-five freestanding communities outside of the Metropolitan Urban Services Area (MUSA) with their own waste- water treatment facilities "that are anticipated to experience increased pressure for urban growth." ZZ The region out- side of the seven -county area is reminiscent of the metro area in the 1960s: a quickly developing region devoid of a coordinated process for treating wastewater. These communities would benefit from the economies of scale made possi- ble by a centralized wastewater treatment system just as the metropolitan area has benefited from a similar arrange- ment for the last thirty years. Capacity problems exist in some of these outlying communities' wastewater treatment facilities as well. Such facilities were not built to accommodate the high levels of rapid growth that have occurred and will continue to occur. Despite these conditions, no politically viable plan has emerged that would incorporate the entire region. If �s=se public investment and the economic provision of services are valued, however, a bold plan of regional systems geo- graphic expansion is necessary to accommodate the future growth of the region. We recommend that the geographic area served by -the regional systems be expanded to efficiently provide serv- ices to cities within the economic region but outside the seven county Metropolitan Council jurisdiction. The legisla- ture should direct the Commissioner of Regional Development to determine the municipalities that should be includ- ed in the regional area based on an objective standard of urbanization. Counties that the commissioner projects to reach that standard within ten years should also be included. The area selected by the commissioner would eventually become part of an expanded regional systems service area. In tum, cities outside the current seven -county area would be entitled to receive regional wastewater treatmem- and other applicable services from the new agency, much as is the case for those communities in the seven -county area. The regional development framework would serve as a guide for currently developing communities as they decide what level of growth they desire. Furthermore, this development framework would allow communities to plan effectively for if and when that level of senice will be provided to their residents. Communities that lie along the lines of future regional infrastructure and choose not to use that service should be assessed the full incremental cost of the infrastructure. Many of the communities outside the seven -county region have witnessed the dysfunction of the current arrangement and generally want nothing to do with the prescriptive policies and regulatory headaches of the Metropolitan Council, yet these same communities would benefit from long-term planning and regional services. The Department of Regional Planning needs to market itself as a beneficial service provider, not as a centralized, one -size - fits -all planning agency. The potential cost -savings available to cooperating local governments should motivate local officials to work with the Department of Regional Planning, producing regional systems that better match the twenty- first century regional area. Recommendation: Department of Regional Planning should plan the regional system of parks and open space. The Department of Regional Planning should plan, finance, and acquire land for the regional parks system. Local entities should continue to operate the parks. Recommendation: Provide aviation review. The new state agency for planning should conduct the aviation review process currently conducted by the Metropolitan Council. Recommendation: Explore options for wastewater operations. We urge Governor Pawlenty to convene a governmental accountability/review committee to examine all options available to provide wastewater treatment to the metropolitan region. These options would include selling the plants outright to private entities; maintaining ownership and contracting out operations; and maintaining the current system of ownership and operation. Furthermore, we recommend that the state seek proposals from prospective service providers who have demon- strated experience in managing and providing service in these two areas, with a particular emphasis on world-class management, technological capabilities and strong records in environmental and safety issues. The City of Indianapolis employed competitive contracting under Mayor Stephen Goldsmith in the 1990s. In some cases, such as the contract for operation of the ciry's wastewater treatment system, a private company had the lowest bid and received the contract. In other cases, such as street repair, the city employees had lower bids than the private companies. i he city street repair employees no -,only won the bid, but by trimming some manage.:al fat, saved the city 25 percent and increased their own efficiency by 68 percent. 23 We believe that the introduction of competitive contracting will yield similar savings and efficiency- improve- ments in our region. Lessons learned during the past have taught us that while we have an exceedingly well-run public entity in Metropolitan Council Environmental Services, it is not enough to compare ourselves to other government service providers. Lnstead, we must seek to compare our government services to the entire market—both public and private. elle must strive for the most efficient, most environmental friendly wastewater treatment system to accommo- date nearly 1 million new residents in the next thirty nears. 21 Recommendation: Explore options for transit operations. MetroTransit, a division of the Metropolitan Council, currently provides most of the Twin Cities bus service. V. -e believe that MetroTransit, as an operating agency, should be separated from the Department of Regional Manning. Regardless of how this is achieved, we believe that taxpayers and transit users would be best served if MetroTransit functioned as an independent agency or, at the very legit, under the auspices of an existing state agency such as the Department of Transportation (MNDoT) that is able to contract out operations. We believe that the region would be well served by using competitive contracting for transit operations. Durir.; the 2003 session, the legislature directed the Metropolitan Council to seek bids from private companies and v MetroTransit for the operation of the Hiawatha Light Rail line. I The legislature should enact similar legslation in regards to all transit operations. Our ultimate goal is not necessarily privatization; it is obtaining the most efficient, cost-effective service whethe- it is provided by a private company or a public agency. The competitive contracting model we have descr_bed makes certain that the region's transit and operations will be done efficiently and effectively. In the 2001 Twin Cities Transportation System Performance Audit, produced by the Metropolitan Council, its very own Transportation Policy Plan states that they should seek to promote competition in the delivery of (transit) services. "The council and othe.- transit providers should promote innovation, efficiency, and greater diversity of options through increased competition in delivering transit services." 26 We couldn't have said it better. Transportation Planning Recommendation: Transfer the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) to the Minnesota Department of Transportation; allow the commissioner of MNDoT to make appointments. Federal law requires that a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) administer the transportation planning process in metropolitan areas with populations over 50,000. The Metropolitan Council's Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) currently serves as the certified MPO for the seven -county area in compliance with federal law. The Transportation Advisory Board reviews and comments on all major transportation planning documents produced bN the Metropolitan Council. It is also responsible for soliciting and evaluating applications for federal transit funding. The board has thirty-three members consisting of seven county commissioners, ten metropolitan municipality repre- sentatives, eight appointed citizen representatives, two tiansit representatives, one freight representative. one non - motorized representative, a member of the Metropolitan Council, representatives from Minnesota Pollution Control and the Metropolitan Airports Commission and the cormnissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation. We believe that the current arrangement does not allow the governor and the transportation commissioner to fully integrate their transportation improvement plans for the region. Instead, the federal funding for transit is largely determined by the Transportation Advisory Board—a virtually unknown organization that is invested with substantial policymaking authority. For that reason, we recommend that the Transportation Advisory Board be transferred to tie Minnesota Department of Transportation and appointment authority be granted to the commissioner. Fxrthermore, we believe that greater accountability could be achieved if TAB membership included additional elected officials, including state legislators and county commissioners from throughout the newly expanded region. Recommendation: An independent audit of light rail transit operations should be conducted before the planning and development of any additional light rail lines. Light rail has been a lightning rod for controversy in the Twin Cities over the last several years. Advocates of an expanded transit system believe many modes o: transpo:.ation including a light rail system are necessary _o meet the transportation demands of the region. Many light rail skeptics have criticized the Hiawatha Line for its high price tag and its fixed location. Others disapprove of the plan because they believe it will detract from the more flexible, exist- ing bus service. The debate over the Hiawatha LRT is not likely to end once the trains are running. To operate the line in 2004, Hennepin County and the state's general fund nzll contribute $3.4 million each -56 percent of the total operating cost. The remaining $5.3 million will come from passenger fares and a three-year, 510 million federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) grant. 27If the CMAQ grant is not available in subsequent years or the actual rider- ship does not reach the optimistic projected numbers, other revenue sources will be necessary. The need to find addi- tional revenue would undoubtedly spark more debates over the viability of light rail. Amid this contentious atmosphere, the Metropolita--i Council continues to plan for additional light rail lines. The Metropolitan Council's Transpor-,ation Policy Plan calls for the construction of another light rail line connecting Minneapolis and St. Paul by 2010. 28 Setting aside our questions about the necessity and cost effectiveness of light rail, we believe the Hiawatha Lire will serve two important purposes, the fust of which is to assess the viability of light rail in the Twin Cities. Before any additional federal funding is secured to plan and develop additional light rail corridors, we suggest that an independent outside audit be conducted after full alignment of the Hiawatha Line is achieved in 2005. The audit should pay specia attention to the annual operating cost of the line, the average daily ridership, and the incremental cost per passenger as well as an accurate daily ridership count of our existing bus system. If the light rail system attracts the ridership (the passenger projections for 2005 are nearly 20,000 Hiawatha passengers per day) and achieves the efficiency necessan, to limit the taxpayer subsidization of light rail to levels close to that of existing bus transit, other light rail corridors could be examined as options. If audits show otherwise, however, no funds should be appropriated to conduct feasibility stud- ies, planning or land procurement, and no federal funds should be sought for other light rail lines. The second purpose of studying the controversial 11:6 -mile light rail line is to determine what effect, if any, the Hiawatha Line has on congestion mitigation. While transit advocates maintain that light rail is just one transit tool necessary to mitigate the frustrating levels of congestion that confront Twin Cities commuters on a daily basis, rail crit- ics are quick to point out that the ever-increasing level of traffic congestion in the seven -county region is due to a lack of highway capacity. Highway expansion has simply not kept pace, they argue, with the population growth within the metropolitan area and the thousands of workers who commute into and within the metropolitan area everyday. An audit of light rail operations should assist policymakers in evaluating if and how much light rail mitigates congestion. We believe that an independent audit would definitively assess the true costs and benefits of light rail in the Twin Cities. We urge a comprehensive and thorough report to be completed as soon as possible. Land Use Recommendation: Abolish the MUSA policy in favor of staged growth plans, administered by local units of government, consistent with the regional systems master plans. The Metropolitan Urban Services Area (MUSA)h8 been used by the Metropolitan Council since the passage of the 1976 Metropolitan Land Planning Act. The MUSA is intended to indicate the area where services will be available for urban development. Cities wishing to develop portions of land not included in the MUSA are required to submit an amendment to their city comprehensive plan, which is then reviewed by the Metropolitan Council. Though its original goal of orderly, contiguous development was not a bad one, the Metropolitan Council, by failing to expand upon what was once a generous supply of developable land, has failed to achieve its goal and created other probler s as well. The original 1970s MUSA was based on an ambitious projection that 4 million people would live in the seven - county area by 2000. Such a bold prediction led to a very generous urban services area in which communities coul: grow and develop. The original projection, which erred on the side of provision, proved to be beneficial. Nearly aL local cornmunities adopted plans that provided for urban densities or future urban areas within the MUSA. The res -__t was, for the most part, orderly urban development in the cities that planned for growth. Because the original land supply was so large, many communities were still growing into their plans as late as t -ie mid-1990s. While the Metropolitan Council vastly overestimated the land supply needs of the region decades earlier, they failed. to adequately plan for the next tier of growth. Instead they continued to tightly control the serviced lar' supply wlt:luin the MUSA, hoping that this policy would spur redevelopment within the urban and suburban core. :e tight supply of land produced largely negative consequences. The tight land supply limited growth in communities p e- viously experiencing rapid growth. In addition, by creating an artificially scarce land supply, the MUSA policy co-- tributed to higher land prices within its bounds. It could also easily be argued that the MUSA has contributed to rapid exurban growth outside the seven-cou7 a° area, ironically creating the type of leapfrog growth it is intended to prevent. This rapid exurban growth is primar_%- a response to the artificially high land and housing prices within the metro area. Because the land supply is not as an .- cially constrained outside the seven -county area, land and housing prices are usually lower. Communities such as Albertville and St. Michael in Wright County have seen extraordinary growth in the last decade partly due to the availability of affordably priced housing. . The Metropolitan Council has continually and erroneously claimed that an adequate supply of vacant and devel- opable land exists inside the MUSA. Studies commissioned by the Builders Association of the Twin Cities have proven otherwise. A 1996 BATC study, The High Cost of Sprawl, found that the developable land supply of the region amounted to a three-year supply of residential lots. At the same time, the Metropolitan Council claimed a ten-year supply existed. 29 In 2000, a BATC study countered the Metropolitan Council's claim that 97,000 acres of vacant and agricultural land existed rwithin the MUSA. 30 The BATC study argued that the use of aerial photography led to the incorrect clas- sification of many parcels of land. The Metropolitan Council's study incorrectly listed conservation easements, protect- ed open space areas, roads smaller than four lanes, parks and recreational areas, and many other pieces of undevel- opable land as vacant and agricultural. " In two of the more flagrant cases of misclassification, the Minnesota National Wildlife Refuge and the headquarters of General Mills, parcels of obviously undevelopable land, were erro- neously classified as vacant and agrizuuiturai. The BATC study, completed through interviews v.-ith the staff of affected cities, found that only 42.9 percent of the land identified by the Metropolitan Council as vacant and agricultural was actually developable. Despite BATC's efforts to prove that an adequate supply of land does not exist, the Metropolitan Council's poli- cies have not changed. It continues to claim that an adequate land supply exists inside the MUSA. This comes at a time when additional capacity is available within the current regional wastewater treatment sys- tem. A 1996 study by Bonestroo, Rosene, Anderlik & Associates showed that a larger geographic area could be served if investments were made to extend the trunk sewer system -and expand and improve the treatment plants. "These investments are relatively minor compared to building new infrastructure. Immediate efforts should be made to effi- ciently urbanize land within the available sewer service area. The Metropolitan Council, however, has kept this land that could be served by the regional sewers outside of the existing MUSA. There is no reason developable land that could be served by regional sewers should remain off limits when a demand for the land is present. The availability of land should never be constrained through artificial, arbitrary boundaries. As people continue to pour into the region, an abundant and constant land supply with urban services is needed now to guarantee con- sumers a wide variety of real estate options in the next twenty years. A free market and a generous land supply would serve to stabilize land prices and help to accommodate the imminent growth in the region. The focus of the Department of Regional Planning should be planning infrastructure that responds to market- driven realities. The current MUSA policy ignores market-driven realities and should be abolished. Even if the MUSA is abolished, a lack of developable land could still exist if necessary investments are not made. The Department of Regional Development must make the investments necessary to ensure that an adequate supply of serviced, developable land is consistently available throughout the region. Recommendation: Facilitate the efficient creation of a periodic regional land -use inventory. A comprehensive and accurate land supply and use survey should be completed. The land survey should be maintained with mandated scheduled updates to ensure that the forecasted growth of the region can be accommodat- ed. This reliable and consistent information would become a valuable tool for local governments to assist them in their short- and long-term planning efforts. A common methodology would be necessary to provide an accurate picture of the region. The purpose of the inventory should not be the protection of certain land uses. Often when agricultural land is placed on such an inventory, it is assumed that the goal is protection. We do not believe that agricultural land should be preserved over any other type of land use, especially in our fast-growing region. Environment and Natural Resources Recommendation: Facilitate the efficient creation of a regional natural resources inventory as an informational device for communities to use in the planning process. A comprehensive and accurate natural resource inventory should be completed in cooperation with rine Metro Division of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. This inventory should complete the work that has been started, using the Minnesota Land Cover Classification System (MLCCS) methodology. This inventory should be pre- pared throughout the developing portions of the region. This guide should accurately map regionally significant natu- ral resources and systems, as defined by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Metropolitan Council, the Association of _Metropolitan Municipalities (AMM), the Builders Association of the Twin Cities, and others. This inventory will facilitate and support the local planning and development process by identifying those featu:-es and sys- tems that must be conserved and support the implementation of accepted policies and best management practices to accomplish these objectives. Once completed, the natural resources inventory and related policies and official controls should facilitate a streamlining of the local development review and approval process. It should also simplify and expedite required er.\ ronmental review, as provided in the Minnesota environmental review program. 73 Recommendation: Eliminate duplication of service where the Metropolitan Council serves the same regulatory function as another layer of government. In many cases the Metropolitan Council serves the same regulatory function as another layer of government.o- example, local unis of government, the Department of Natural Resources, the Pollution Control Agency, the Board of Water and Soil Resources, and the Metropolitan Council all review development projects for environmental impact. The e:iviro=ental impact review conducted by the Metropolitan Council should be transferred to either the Department of Natural Resources or the Pollution Control Agency. The proposed state department should have a nar- rowly limited authority on environmental issues. On Environmental Assessment Worksheets, it should ornly comment on those projects that will have an impact on the provision of regional services. Overregulation, in addition to costing taxpayers unnecessarily, greatly slows down the development process, where lost time is tantamount to higher costs, inevitably passed on to businesses, homebuyers, and taxpayers in gener- al. Wherever the Metropolitan Council performs the same function as other layers or branches of governrnent, every effort should be made to eliminate the duplication of service in a new Department of Regional Planning. Even if the Ivietropolitan Council is removed from the regulatory process, there are still too many other agencies and organizations working at cross purposes doing all types of redundant environmental review. We recommend that the governor convene a task force to completely review the state's environmental regulatory framework with a goal of streamlining the process and eliminating redundancy. The task force's findings should be presented to the legislature and the governor. Housing and Redevelopment Recommendation: Transfer housing authority to local Housing and Redevelopment Authorities. The Metropolitan Coundl's Metropolitan Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRAs) , Family Affordable Housing Program, and other housing -related programs are prime examples of both duplication of service and mission. creep. Federal and state housing programs as well as Housing and Redevelopment Authorities at the city and county level remove the need for a regional housing program. Furthermore, affordable housing programs are not proper functions for a department concerned with regional sys- tem planning. The proposed Regional Planning Department should restrict its focus to infrastructure planning and local planning assistance. All housing authority currently under the auspices of the Metropolitan Council should be transferred to the Housing and Redevelopment Authorities at the municipal or county levels. Local HRAs would then serve as the administrator of federal housing pass-through grants now administered by the Metropolitan Council. In local units of government too small to support an individual HRA, consortium HRAs could be formed or county HRA functions could be extended to the affected cities. Ideally, housing assistance programs would be consolidated in one department of one layer of government. County human services departments seem to be the best fit as housing voucher programs are a form of welfare assis- tance; however, under federal regulations, only Public Housing Authorities are authorized to administer Section 8 vouchers. Even with that regulation in place, the use of county HRAs would at least streamline the process by creating more of a "one -stop -shop" for welfare assistance at the county level. Recommendation: The legislature should repeal the Livable Communities Act, abolishing the Livable Communities Program administered by the Metropolitan Council. The financing of redevelopment should be funded by new, objective financing tools. Under the Livable Communities Act, enacted by the legislature in 1995," the Metropolitan Council has disL_b- uted over $100 million to communities in Livable Communities grains. The grants are used to clean up and redevelop polluted sites; create n-uxed-use. "transit friendly" developments; and to develop affordable housing. Rather than objec- tively recognizing a wade variety- of development options, the Metropolitan Council has chosen to reward communities that employ specific development techniques at the expense of taxpayers throughout the region. The "talent show" atmosphere by which grants are rewarded is neither an objective nor a desirable means to award funds. Though Livable Communities grants are funded by property taxes paid throughout the seven -county area, certain: communities have received an inordinate amount of money through the program. St. Louis Park, for example, received over $5 million in grants from 1996 to 2002, third only to the core cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. (Minneapolis has received over $30 million; St. Paul has received over $20 million-) By contrast Eagan, Edina, Oakdale, Inver Grove Heights, Savage, and White Bear Lake had not received any g. -ant money as of 2002. 35 We are not against "transit friendly" developments, urban redevelopment, or affordable housing—they are wor- thy goals. We do, however, oppose government agencies rewarding cities that employ trendy development practices a= the expense of the rest of the region. The proposed state agency for planning should be in the business of planning infrastructure for all types of development, not funding politically correct development. We believe, however, that redevelopment is a benefit to urban areas and to the entire region. The legislature's virtual elimination of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) did away with the primary tool available for redevelopment. We believe that a new market-based redevelopment tool is necessary to encourage self-sustaining projects. We recommend that the legislature create a State Reinvestment Fund administered by the Department of Employment and Economic Development. The fund should operate as a revolving loan source which provides devel- opers with low-interest loans to redevelop blighted areas. The loans should be gradually paid back with the proceeds of the projects. The criteria for projects should be objective and recognize a wide range of development options. Only projects that show the potential to become self -sustainable should be approved. Local Government Recommendation: Encourage and support efforts to reduce the number of local and sub -local governments through service -sharing opportunities and, where possible, consolidation of local units of government. While the bulk of our study was devoted to evaluating the Twin Cities regional governance structure, we belie. e that a key step can be taken at the local government level to save money and simplify the planning process. Despite numerous conversations in recent years about Minnesota's reputation as a high -tax, big -spending state, there has been little or no constructive discussion as to how that came about.. One needs only to examine the multiple layers of gov- ernment that exist throughout the state and region to see who spends those vital tax dollars. Of states with 3 million citizens or higher, Minnesota ranks number one in erected officials per capita. Minnesota has: m 87 counties m 853 cities, 521 of which are below 1,000 in population m 1,791 townships m 343 independent school districts 3e m 91 soil and water conservation districts " m 150 special districts (appro.Ndmately) The average citizen generally does not care who provides a service such as snowplowing, wastewater treatment. or road maintenance. They do care, however that the service is provided and that it is provided efficiently and effe--- tively. Increasingly, all levels of government in Minnesota are seeking greater efficiencies as state government spendL-_ is scrutinized like never before. Some local governments have discovered that service sharing is a popular means to that end. Among the layers of government—city, toNNmship, county, and lesser-known layers such as watershed and special rail authorities—opportunities are available to share services to eliminate duplication, save taxpayers money, and provide important government services. A May 2003 study by the St. Paul Pioneer Press revealed that many local governments in the seven -county me= - politan area would be well served to cut costs through service sharing. The study showed that of the 192 incorporate, cities in the seven -county metropolitan area, thirty-one cities have fewer than 1,000 people. According to the Pioneer Press, fourteen such small cities are next to well-developed areas and could easily share services or merge boundaries save money. These small towns are kept alive only through state intergovernmental aid programs. 3e We recognize that many cities already share some services, and we applaud that effort. The Department of Regional Panning should encourage efforts to reduce duplication of services through service -sharing between the y�=- ous levels of state and local government and provide models for this to happen. Chapter 414 of Minnesota Statutes governs the processes of municipal incorporation and annexation. The law cites "consolidation" as a practice that should be encouraged. 31 Reduction of the number of governmental units is hardly a new concept. Although politically complicated in many areas, consolidating governments is a viable step to greatly increase efficiency. We recognize the difficulties associated with two communities becoming one and do not believe a community should be forced to consolidate against the popular will of its citizens. However, state govern- ment should provide communities with information on the potential cost -savings of consolidation and perhaps, modest incentives to encourage the practice. This newly created regional planning agency could play a vital role in this gov- ernment innovation. The decision of whether to consolidate should be left to the voters of the individual communi- ties, but we believe this would be a key twenry-first century step toward delivering government services in a more cost- effective manner to a rapidly developing region. Conclusion In 1969 John J. Fischer of Harper's magazine described the Metropolitan Council as "an invention which will prove as significant to American cities as the Wright brothers first plane was to aviation. After thirty -plus years, it appears that Fischer's prediction fell woefully short. Comparing the Metropolitan Council's impact to the impact of the Wright Flyer, however, is unfair. The Metropolitan Council, like the airplane, was an interesting concept that incorporated some good ideas (planning regionally for significant infrastructure investments) and some ideas that needed work (how to respond to a regional area that exceeded original boundaries, how to continually ensure an adequate land supply) . But while the Wright Flyer was subjected to constant tinkering and innovation after its first flight, the Metropolitan Council has not been put through the same refining process. The time has come again for the legislature to apply bold and innovative ideas to the metropolitan governance stricture. The legislature should strive to reform metropolitan governance to meet the region's needs in the twenty- first century rather than adhering to a model that is out of date, widely disputed, and politically untenable in its cur- rent configuration. Bold ne«• ideas that respond to a dynamic, fast-growing metropolitan area are needed. These ideas must be market-based and the affected cities and counties must benefit. We believe we have provided recommenda- tions that fulfill those criteria and maintain the wisdom of crafting regional solutions to regional problems. Minnesota has long been known for civic innovation. The Metropolitan Council, when conceived, was expected to make N-iinnesota a national leader. The future growth and development of our region can become one more exam- ple of Minnesota leading the nation if the legislature applies twenty-first century, free-market innovations to our regional governance structure. Endnotes ' Minnesota Laws, Ch 202, 1939. z Minnesota Laws, Ch. 468, 1957. ' "The Easy Chair," John Fischer, Harper's, April 1969. Minnesota Laws, Ch. 896, 1967. 5 Minnesota Laws, Ch 892, 1967. s Minnesota Laws, Ch. 449, 1969. The Metropolitan Sewer Service Board was converted to the Metropolitan Waste Control Commission in 1974. Minnesota Laws, Ch. 847, 1969. a Governing the Twin Cities Region, John J. Harrigan and William C. Johnson, (University of Minnesota Press: Minneapolis) , 1978, page 35. s Minnesota Law-, Ch. 127, 1976. 10 Minnesota Stat. 473.175. The 2003 legislature changed the circumstances under which the Metropolitan Council may require a local unit of government to modify its comprehensive plan. A plan must now show that it is .more likely than not to have a substantial impact on the region." Previously, the Met Council could require a change if the plan may have had a substantial impact on the region. " Minnesota Laws, Ch. 628, 1994. Before 1994, the council had only made plans for transit and wastewater treatment: the operation of the systems was the responsibility of the Metropolitan Transit Commission and the Metropolitan Waste Control Commission tzMinnesota Stat. 473.25. 13 Metropolitan Council Livable Communities grant recipients 1996-2002. " Metropolitan Council 2003 Amended Unified Budget, April, 2003. 15 The Twin Cities Regional Strategy, Arthur Nafialin and John Brandl, (Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities: St. Paul) , 1980, page 68. 16 Minnesota Laws, Ch. 10, 2001 Special Session. This was origMetropolitan inally known as the Metropotan Development and Investment Framework. in 1996, the name was changed to The Regional Blueprint. The cu rent council has given the document a new narne, removing the word "blueprint" and re -incorporating the word -framework." The new name is 2030 Regional Development Framework. 1e Minnesota Stat, Ch. 473.175. 19 Blueprint 2030 has been renamed by the current Metropolitan Council. The current name is the 2030 Regional Development Framework. 20 Minnesota Stat, Ch. 473.123. 21 Minnesota Politics and Government. Daniel J. Elazar, Virginia Gray and Wyman Spano, (University of Nebraska Press), 1999, page 197. zz 2000 Urban Land Supply Update, Builders Association of the Twin Cities, 2000, page 43. 23 The Twenty-first Century City, Stephen Goldsmith, (Rowman and Littlefield: Lanham, MD) , 2001, page 21. 24 Blueprint 2030 projects that the population of the seven -county region alone will grow by over 930,000 by 2030. ZS Minnesota Laws, Ch. 19, 2003 Special Session. 26 Metropolitan Council 2001 Twin Cities Trarsportation System Audit. Z' 2004 Metro Transit Proposed Operating Budget. Metropolitan Council Transportation Policy Plan, Adopted January 24, 2001. z9 The High Cost of Sprawl, Builders Association of the Twin Cities, 1996, page 17. 3° 2000 Urban Land Supply Update, Builders Association of the Twin Cities, 2000. 3' The 2000 Urban Land Supply Update was based on the Metropolitan Council's, 1997 Generalized Land Use Study, published in 2000. 3: Ultimate Urban Service Area Boundary and Sewer Service Cost Analysis, Bonestroo, Rosene, Anderlick and Associates, 1996. "Minnesota Rules, Ch. 4410. 3d Minnesota Stat, Ch. 473.25. 35 Eagan was not a participant in the Livable Communities program from 1998 - Nov. 2003; the other cities, Edina, Inver Grove Heights, Oakdale, Savage and White Bear Lake are listed as LCA participants on the Met Council's website. 36Minnesota State Auditor's Office 3' Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts: http://vAW�v.maswcd.ora 3B "Metro's Mini Cities," Bob Shaw, St. Paul Pioneer Press, May 25, 2003. 38 Minnesota Stat. Ch. 414.01 Task Force Members Dean Riesen, Chairman of the Task Force, is the managing partner of Riesen & Company. He has also served as chief financial officer for Carlson Holdings, Inc. and president and general partner of Carlson Real Estate Compam. In 2002, he was named the deputy director of policy for the Pawlenty/Molnau transition team. Bev Aplikowski was elected mayor of Arden Hills in 2002. She had served on the Arden Hills City Council for ten years before becoming mayor. She is the CEO of Lakeside Homes, a manufactured housing community. She has also served as chair of the Association of Minnesota Municipalities Metropolitan Agencies Committee. Mark Buesgens has served in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 1999. He is the chair of the Legislative Commission on Metropolitan Government and is the vice chair of the Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs Committee. He is also an assistant principal at Black Hawk Middle School in Eagan. Terry Forbord is the managing partner and president of Laurent Development Company. He served for eleven years on the board of directors of the Sensible Land Use Coalition, including time as president and vice-president. He is also actively involved in the Builders Association of the Twin Cities, where he now serves on the Public Policy Committee. Daniel Hunt is president of the urban real estate development company Hunt Associates. He has served on the Public Policy Committee of the Builders Association of the Twin Cities, the Metropolitan Council Real Estate Advisory Panel, and the board of directors of the Sensible Land Use Coalition. Fritz Knaak is the managing partner of Knaak & Kantrud in Vadnais Heights. He is also the president of Ancera Title Service Corporation, also located in Vadnais Heights. He has twenty-three years of experience in private legal practice, focusing primarily on municipal government and zoning law. He served in Minnesota State Senate from 1953 to 1993 and was a member of the Metropolitan Affairs Committee. Peg Larsen is the president of RCS Consulting. She served in the Minnesota State House of Representatives from 1995 until 2001 representing the eastern portion of Washington County. While in the house, she chaired the Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs Committee. Before her time in the legislature, she served on the city council and as mayor of the City of Lakeland. Gen Olson has been a state senator for over twenty years representing communities in western Hennepin and eastern Wright counties. She has served on the Taxes Committee and the Metropolitan and Local Government Committee. Before serving in the Minnesota Senate, she was planning and zoning commissioner, city councilmemee-. and mayor for the City of Minnetrista. Phil Olson is vice president of the Woodbury branch office of Coldwell Banker Burnet. He has held the same position in the Minnetonka office of the company. In addition to working in real estate for the last eighteen years, :e has ten years experience in residential construction. John Powell is director of municipal services at TKDA. He has over seventeen years of experience in the imple- mentation of utility and street infrastructure projects from planning through design, construction, and operation. As a licensed engineer, he has served as city engineer for metropolitan -area cities including Afton, Forest Lake, Lino Lake:, and Lindstrom. John Shardlow is president and director of planning for Dahlgren, Shardlow & Uban, Inc. He has assisted over 100 communities in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas as well as numerous private -sector clients with planningo services. He recently was recognized by the Sensible Land Use Coalition as the winner of the 2002 Moe Dorton awar for outstanding leadership in his field. Blair Tremere is administrator of the Minnesota House Tax Committee and Ethics Committee. He is a Golden Valley city council member and former mayor. He served on the Metropolitan Council's Land Use Advison Committee, and in September 2003 was appointed to the council's Livable Communities Advisory Committee, which he currently chairs. David J. Unmacht is the administrator of Scott County. He has also served as the deputy administrator of Dakota County, the city manager of Prior Lake and as city administrator of Belle Plaine. He serves on the board of directors of the Minnesota Association of County Administrators and the Minnesota City/County Managers Association. Matt Van Slooten is the president of Carlson Real Estate Company. He is an active member of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) and served as president of the organization's Minnesota chapter in 2002. He is currently the chair of the Minnesota chapter of NAIOP's Long Range Planning Com =, ttee. Task force staff Annette Meeks, Project Director Annette Meeks directed this project for Center of the American Experiment, where she serves as director of government affairs and public programs. In February of 2003, Governor Pawlenty appointed her to serve on :he Metropolitan Council where she represents the 7th District and is a member of the Transportation Commiii-ee and vice chair of the Communin, Development Committee. Jonathan Papik, Research Director Jonathan Papik conducted the research, writing, and administrative work for the task force. He is the :esearch director on metropolitan governance at Center of the American Experiment. Before his time at American Experiment, he worked in the office of Hennepin County Commissioner Penny Steele and as an assistant to the city manager at the City of Fridley. Twin Cities Transportation System A business perspective on meeting regional needs An economic development initiative sponsored by the Metropolitan Coalition of Chambers Table of Contents Introduction.................................................................................................................... 1 Section1. Findings.......................................................................................................... 2 Section2. Principles........................................................................................................ 6 Section 3. Recommendations.......................................................................................... 8 Examples of Specific Projects.................................................................. 9 Examples of Management Techniques ................................................... 11 Planning Recommendations................................................................... 12 Amendments to the Original Report.............................................................................. 13 Figure1. FAST Lanes................................................................................................... 14 Figure 2. Bus -only Shoulders........................................................................................ 15 Figure 3. Metro Area Congestion Comparisons............................................................. 16 Figure 4. Map of Specific Highway Projects................................................................. 17 Figure 5. Map of Specific Transit Projects..................................................................... 18 CoalitionMembers........................................................................................................ 19 Original report issued in May, 2003 Amended in January, 2004 Twin Cities Transportation System A business perspective on meeting regional needs An economic development initiative Sponsored by the Metropolitan Coalition of Chambers Introduction Many factors shape regional economic vitality. The ability of a region's business community to compete and thrive in the national and world economy is one of the most significant factors. The Twin Cities business community is proud of the record it has achieved on this front. It has established itself as one of the country's largest and most significant centers of economic activity. However, its continued prosperity is threatened by a major element of the economic landscape—the region's transportation system. The quality of the Twin Cities transportation system and its ability to meet the needs of its users are critical determinants of business performance. Travel times, accessibility and reliability in the transportation system have a profound influence on the ability of businesses to carry out daily activities, including the transport of workers and the delivery of goods and services. Unfortunately, our system's performance has deteriorated in recent years and fails to adequately serve the needs of the business community. Worse yet, the region's transportation system promises to grow more inadequate if major steps are not taken to prevent this. The Metropolitan Coalition of Chambers, a coalition of metropolitan area chambers of commerce, believes that the business community must take an active role in expanding our region's transportation system. This report is the Chambers' first effort to take collective action to improve the region's transportation system. The coalition hopes that this report and its commitment to proactive involvement in future transportation debates will help to achieve two main objectives: 1) serious consideration by transportation officials of the business community's perspective on and recommendations for future transportation investments, and 2) assurance that future investments in the system will facilitate business activity and build the region's economy. The report is divided in three parts. First is a description of the challenges and inadequacies facing the current transportation system. This section profiles the extent of congestion in the region, what has contributed to it, and the impact it has on metro area businesses. Section two is a list of principles that the business community advocates for transportation planning. The list is based upon research by the coalition and experiences, frustrations and opportunities brought to the coalition's attention by its members—the Twin Cities business community. The coalition believes that its principles will maximize mobility throughout the region at the lowest possible cost. The final section of the report presents the business community's recommendations for improving the transportation system. They are not comprehensive nor in priority order. Instead, the recommendations reflect examples of projects, management techniques and planning Twin Cities Transportation System A business perspective on meeting regional needs concepts the business community feels are consistent with its principles and would improve the functioning of the transportation system. For the purposes of this report, "regional projects" include any part of the transportation system that runs through three or more municipalities or is part of an integrated system. "Twin Cities" is equivalent to the seven -county Twin Cities metropolitan area. Section 1. Findings Congestion Profile The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) reports a nearly 20 -fold increase in the number of congested roadway miles in the region since 1970. As a result, the average person going to work in the Twin Cities wasted 54 hours in congestion in 2000. This contributed to a per commuter loss of $1000 in time and fuel, or $1.2 billion for the region. These statistics alone paint a bleak picture of the transportation situation in the Twin Cities. The Texas Transportation Institute's 2002 Urban Mobility Report reveals other problems. For example, the percentage of lane -miles that are congested during peak periods in the region has increased from 15% in 1982 to 60% in 2000 on freeways, and from 30%in 1982 to 65% in 2000 on principle arterial streets. The report also estimates that the Twin Cities needs 54 lane -miles of freeway and 45 lane -miles of principle arterial streets added annually to prevent congestion growth. According to the Metropolitan Council, between 1990 and 2000, only 151 lane miles of freeway were added to the system, or 15 miles per year. This number is expected to consistently decline over time. The scope of the challenges facing the Twin Cities transportation system is perhaps best understood on a comparative basis. Of the 75 metropolitan areas surveyed in the 2002 Urban Mobility Report, the Twin Cities ranked 1St in the percent increase of peak period travel in congestion from 1982 to 2000. It ranked 2nd in the percent increase of all daily travel in congestion for the same period. The Twin Cities showed poorly in a number of other categories surveyed in the report. Of the 75 regions, the Twin Cities ranked (all rankings are based on 2000 data, unless indicated): • 3rd worst in point change in travel time index for `82-`00. • 13th worst in travel time index • 10h in annual gallons of fuel wasted • 17th in annual cost of congestion • 1 e worst in Roadway Congestion Index' More importantly, the Twin Cities can be compared to the 29 other regions that fall into its same size category ("large regions"). Of the 30 regions, the Twin Cities ranked: 1 The RCI is a weighted volume/capacity ratio comprising freeway and principal arterial components. 2 Twin Cities Transportation System A business perspective on meeting regional needs • 13'' in the 2000 Roadway Congestion Index • 2°d (behind West Palm Beach) in the greatest percentage change in the Roadway Congestion Index for 1982-2000. Figure 3 provides RCI. data and population data for all 30 of these regions. While the Twin Cities is not listed among the worst ten regions on most transportation system marks, the rate at which congestion is increasing in the region is one of the highest of all 75 regions. If this rate continues, the Twin Cities could quickly and easily see itself emerge into the worst ten regions on a number of system marks. Since population growth is a key driver of congestion, it is worthwhile to note that of the 75 regions surveyed, population growth in the Twin Cities for the period 1982 to 2000 was 24`h highest. Sources of Congestion Demographic changes are responsible for much of the increase in congestion experienced in the region in the past 30 years. In 1970, 33% of households in the region had two or more automobiles. By 1990, this figure reached 58% (due in part to the increase in multiple -worker households). The result of this trend has been a dramatic rise in auto traffic as well as in the number of single -occupant vehicles on the road. Automobiles account for over 93% of all person -trips in the region.2 In 1970, 54% of the region's households were located outside Minneapolis and St. Paul. In 1990, this figure reached 69%. A similar trend affected the distribution of jobs in the region. In 1970, 44% of the region's jobs were located outside Minneapolis and St. Paul; by 1990, this figure was 63%.3 Both of these trends have contributed to a rise in the volume of suburb -suburb commuting, which now outweighs the volume of suburb to urban commuting in the region. The result of this shift in travel movements is that we now have a more tangled "web" of commuters on the landscape than in the past. The 1990's were a period of rapid job growth in the region. Between 1990 and 2000, more than 250,000 jobs were added to the 11 Minnesota counties in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. In addition, 33% more workers commuted to the state's job epicenter (Hennepin and Ramsey counties) in 2000 (350,000 workers) than in 1990 (263,000 workers).4 Distances traveled by workers during this period (length of commutes) increased as well. To and from work trips represent the greatest demand on the system making the expansion of system capacity during peak -traffic hours one of the key challenges facing transportation planners. The Twin Cities is expected to continue growing at a healthy rate. It is projected that the region will gain 635,000 new residents, 320,000 new households and 312,000 new jobs between 2000 2 Metropolitan Council Transportation Policy Plan, 2001. 3 Metropolitan Council Transportation Policy Plan, 2001. "Jouney to Work and Place of Work," 1990/2000 Census Data, U.S. Census Bureau. Twin Cities Transportation System A business perspective on meeting regional needs and 2025. Vehicle Miles Traveled are expected to increase from 57 million per year to 79 million per year in the same period, or a 38% increases This growth and increased travel activity will take place on top of a relatively fixed number of roadway miles. The inadequacy of the current system to meet today's needs will pale in comparison to the situation in the next several decades if transportation investments are not wisely planned and adequately funded. Business Impact The transportation system is crucial to the success of Twin Cities businesses. The business community is very familiar with the costs imposed on it by a system that is not efficient, accessible and reliable. These include 1) higher shipping costs; 2) reduced worker productivity; 3) worker tardiness; 4) shrinkage of customer and employee base; 5) declining competitiveness as a consequence of all of these factors. These costs will be magnified if the region does not take an aggressive approach toward transportation planning and make implementation possible with adequate funding. If these two things do not happen, travel demand will outpace improvement, congestion will increase, accessibility will decline and infrastructure will age at an ever -faster rate. Environmental Impact Pollution from vehicle emissions creates additional costs for all those who use the transportation system. As congestion increases, emissions, and thus pollution levels, rise. Gasoline and diesel vehicle emissions have been linked to chronic illness, asthma attacks, cancer and reduced life expectancy. In a University of California study, it was estimated that a 10% reduction in emissions in the Twin Cities in 1990 would have reduced the health-related costs of air pollution by between $35 million and $540 million.6 The wide range of this estimate reflects the high degree of uncertainty surrounding the health impacts of pollution and how to measure them. Air pollution from vehicle emissions also imposes a number of non -health-related costs. These include, but are not limited to, global warming, crop loss, damage to materials, forest damage and loss of visibility. The Center for Transportation Studies estimates that together, these non- health -related costs equal about 50 percent of health-related costs.' Reducing congestion on Twin Cities roadways is thus vital not only to insure mobility and economic vitality in the region, but also to protect residents and natural resources from the health and environmental consequences that congestion helps to cause. Opportunities 5 Presentation by Frank Pafko, MNDOT, 1/17/03. 6 "The Annualized Social Cost of Motor Vehicle Use in the U.S. Based on 1990-1991 Data," University of California at Davis, 1996. ' "The Full Cost of Transportation in the Twin Cities Region," Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2000. rd Twin Cities Transportation System A business perspective on meeting regional needs The number of roadway miles in the Twin Cities is going to remain relatively fixed over the next several decades. There is limited opportunity to expand the system due to physical constraints (roads constructed in the 1960s and 1970s are reaching the end of their design life), funding constraints, and social and environmental values. We must seek alternatives to building our way out of congestion. These alternatives must focus on preserving and improving the current infrastructure to increase its capacity and efficiency over time. A balance should be sought between carrying out traditional preservation efforts (repairing and replacing pavement, bridges, and other physical elements of the system) and employing creative new approaches to improving the system, e.g. greater reliance on technology that enhances system mobility by creating Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).8 Peak system demand can be reduced with greater reliance on the transit system. Transit takes 275,000 single occupant trips off the region's roadways on an average day, according to the Metropolitan Council. If a significant portion of travel demand growth over the next 25 years can be captured by transit, increases in roadway congestion will be minimized. Currently about 40% of workers in downtown Minneapolis and 20% in downtown St. Paul use transit to get to work.9 Transit ridership has increased at a healthy rate over the past several years (e.g. a 20% increase for 1996-20011 ). It would serve the region well to commit the necessary resources to maintain a high and steady rate of growth in transit ridership. Significant opportunity also exists to improve the freight system in the region. While freight movement relies heavily on the highway and road system, it also requires specialized system features and infrastructure. Twin Cities businesses that ship to international markets are at particular disadvantage when it comes to the transportation system. The network of freight forwarders in the region is poorly coordinated. As a result, it takes six days for cargo to reach its destination from the Twin Cities." Frustrated with this delay, international companies operating in the region rely on Chicago's air cargo hub for their international transport needs. Eighty - ninety percent of the Twin Cities' international air cargo is trucked to Chicago and other gateways—but mostly Chicago. 12 Chicago has 314 international passenger flights and 52 international freighter flights weekly. MSP has 41 and 0, respectively. Some companies have even moved business segments and distribution services to Chicago or other regional hubs. As domestic and international cargo volumes nearly double over the next two decades, the inadequacies of the region's air freight system will become even more obvious. Establishing a regional air freight distribution center in the Twin Cities would prevent delays from getting worse. A regional distribution center would encourage existing companies to maintain their distribution services in the region, and attract new international companies to the region. It would consolidate the region's international cargo and enable it to negotiate for direct 8 Intelligent Transportation Systems apply high technology and computer power to existing freeway, traffic and transit systems to increase their safety and efficiency. 9 Presentation by Nacho Diaz, Metropolitan Council, 1/10/03. to Presentation by Nacho Diaz, Metropolitan Council, 1/10/03. 11 Minnesota Department of Transportation. 12 Between January and November, 2002, 1,172,649 metric tons of freight and mail arrived or departed by plane in Chicago (up 3.3% from the previous year) versus 294,850 tons for MSP (down 6.38%). Data provided by the Metropolitan Airports Commission. G Twin Cities Transportation System A business perspective on meeting regional needs international service. In others words, MSP would become an international air cargo hub. Such a hub could reduce travel times for international freight from six days to two or three days. 13 By adequately serving the air cargo needs of the region, we would reduce delays and the business costs associated with them. A regional distribution center would improve the competitiveness of the region, help it retain existing companies and attract new ones. While we currently meet domestic air freight needs fairly well, new security requirements will challenge our ability to meet these needs in the future. A regional distribution center would help the region address these challenges as well. Many of the region's businesses also contend that our intermodal infrastructure is unsatisfactory. The intermodal system handles freight that travels over a combination of rail, water, truck or air. This highly specialized infrastructure substantially increases the efficiency of goods movement by eliminating the costly breaking down and repacking of freight. In today's environment of e-commerce and just -in -time delivery, logistic systems have become major value-added strategies for firms. As a result, an effective intermodal system that maximizes freight mobility is key to maintaining firms' competitiveness. The intermodal system already supports 20% of freight traffic. The Twin Cities would benefit from intermodal facility expansions and service improvements that would better accommodate current and future demand for this efficient mode of transport. Section 2. Principles Based on its research of the region's transportation system, discussions with MNDOT and Metropolitan Council officials, and feedback from the local business community, the Metropolitan Coalition of Chambers has developed a set of principles for transportation planning. It believes that following these principles will help the region maximize its mobility at the lowest possible price. The principles are based upon an understanding of the problems with the current system, the challenges that perpetuate these problems, and the opportunities available for improving the system. General System Principles 1. Provide stable and continuous source of funding, recognizing that better transportation systems are the result of continuous long-term investment. This allows for major systemic changes versus the patchwork fixes that one-time money buys. 2. Promote a multi -modal approach to transportation planning to maximize system capacity. 3. Promote the use of state or regional funding sources for transit operations as opposed to local funding options such as the property tax. 4. View transportation planning from a regional perspective. Recognize that investments in one locality impact other localities. 5. Agree ahead of time on what costs and benefits will be measured in analyzing projects. 6. Be up -front on the costs and benefits of alternative solutions to transportation problems. 13 Presentation by Bill Gardner, M MOT, 1/24/03. in Twin Cities Transportation System A business perspective on meeting regional needs 7. Create an appeals process for local governments that oppose regional transportation projects. 8. Promote active management of the transportation system to minimize congestion. Activities should include everything from use of park and ride lots to carpooling to staggered business hours. 9. Recognize that some parts of the transportation infrastructure may work best if owned and operated by the private sector. Highway/Road System Principles 10. Make completion of highway projects with the greatest regional impact (e.g. I-494/1-694 beltway) the highest priority. 11. Ensure that sufficient resources are available to complete projects already started before initiating new ones. 12. Reconstruct system elements that are contributing to highway congestion. 13. Develop sufficient minor arterial road capacity to minimize short and mid-range trip takers' use of highways. 14. Maximize the potential of "incident management" in reducing congestion. (Incident management resources include cameras, monitors and other tools that help to relieve incident -related congestion faster.) 15. Enhance system safety. (E.g., equip all bridges with shoulders, eliminate hazardous road design, etc.) Transit System Principles 16. Promote versatility in the transit system. 17. Make the bus system its backbone. Rail (i.e. light or commuter) should supplement this system where it is cost effective. (Regions with effective transit systems have bus and rail systems that complement each other. The Twin Cities' current "either/or" mentality restricts its potential to create a better system.) 18. Maximize transit's potential to reduce congestion by emphasizing dedicated bus ways and bus -only shoulders. 19. Create transit lines that connect suburbs where such access is in demand. Avoid an exclusive suburb -central city transit system mentality. Freight System Principles 20. Experiment with new approaches to managing truck traffic. 21. Make the time necessary to move freight to international destinations competitive with that in other major metropolitan areas. 22. Insure that intermodal freight facilities are sufficient to meet the region's current and future economic needs. 7 Twin Cities Transportation System A business perspective on meeting regional needs Section 3. Recommendations The following tables provide examples of investments that meet the business community's principles for transportation system planning and implementation. Examples are grouped into three categories: 1) specific projects; 2) management techniques; and 3) planning for new elements of our transportation system. The examples are not in priority order. Figures 4 and 5 map the examples of specific projects. The examples of projects consistent with our principles only cover the period up to 2015.14 Looking beyond that date, many more investments will be required to preserve mobility in the system. These include, but are not limited to, the construction of at least one more dedicated busway by 2025 and the addition of another 600 buses. Implementation of all recommendations will depend on the availability of funds. In 2003, the Metropolitan Coalition of Chambers supported the Minnesota Transportation Coalition's 2003 Funding and Efficiency Proposals. While the legislature did not adopt this specific package, it did increase transportation system funding and provided a start toward financing our vision for the region's transportation system. However, to improve the likelihood that our priority projects are completed in a timely fashion, more funding is needed. That is why the Coalition is proposing that at least 25 percent of state bonding in 2004 be for transportation projects. 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Q. cda d cn co •��'� ' 0 4) E� co o Cd 0w V E ci ooo �� w 00 _c0U�dO co C ;yCd G O � +' a; d 'i En UN"z,C,3� `d )ob.~ c m=n En yd 0 o o y ' 'L7 4 y � �U. ,°oA� .r' � U O 3> Q y �+ rQ+ cd i," o.�'� ate+ i En a U �'�Cd 4- r N E too0 N U U U N 0 6.cd 0 .� v� . b O Q «s . -� 'U U y ' • ° O y Q = y ' 7G .- O •O '" E� cd y "a cd cis v E- H b 'C ... .� o3 4. v, Gn -o b En Cd cz c O y y O .4• .� U CO ti ed . U N E a ¢ 4N N Twin Cities Transportation System A business perspective on meeting regional needs Amendments to the Original Report MCC intended for this report to be a living document that would reflect the current recommendations of the unified Twin Cities business community in regard to our regional transportation infrastructure. In 2004, MCC has adopted the following positions, designed to enhance the positions taken in our original report. MCC believes that at least 25 percent of state bonding in 2004 should be for transportation projects. The business community continues to view transportation as a major need, on par with other traditional state bonding projects, and believes that we should include the amount of state bonding capacity that is utilized for transportation bonding. This would include local roads, local bridges, right of way acquisitions and transit capital. We believe that transportation bonding projects should be prioritized and selected based on our previously outlined criteria, including the belief that projects should focus on highest need areas. MCC supports the creation of FAST lanes. We support this creative approach to relieving congestion for both commercial and individual users. The business community believes that public-private partnerships are a positive tool that should be utilized to help build lanes alongside existing highways. MCC supports further examination of the air -freight issue. We support efforts to improve Minnesota's air cargo capacity in a manner that responds to the changing dynamics of our business climate. Today, approximately 88% of air freight originating in Minnesota is trucked to Chicago. The end result is longer turnaround times and higher costs for Minnesota businesses. We recommend a closer examination and positive steps to reduce air freight shipment times and costs for Minnesota businesses. During the 2004 legislative session, MCC will lobby legislators in support of these concepts. 13 Figure 1. FAST Lanes Candidate Corridors (as proposed by MNDOT): • I -35E from I-94 to I-694 • I -35W from the south junction with I -35E to US 10 • I-394 from I-494 to I-94 • I-494 from MN 5 to I-94 • I-694 from I-94 to West Junction of I-3 5E • I-94 from I-394 to I-694/494 • MN 100 from 36th St. to I-394 MN 101 from I-94 to US 10 • MN 252 from I-94 to MN 610 • MN 36 from I -35W to I -35E • MN 65 from I-694 to Anoka County Line • US 10 from MN 101 to I-3 5 W • US 169 from I-494 to I-94 • US 52 from Butler Avenue to I-94 14 Figure 2. Bus -only Shoulders As proposed in the Metropolitan Council's Transportation Policy Plan, Jan. 2001 Freeway Corridors • Bus -only shoulders with improved standards: • TH 36 from I -35E to Stillwater • I-94 east from St. Paul CBD to County Rd. 15 • I-94 from Mpls. CBD to I-694 and from I-494 to TH 610 • Lafayette Freeway from St. Paul CBD to Upper 55th St. • 1-494 from TH 77 west and north to I-94 • I-494 from TH 77 east to TH 61 • I-494/1-694 north and west from TH 61 to I -35E • I-694/1-94 from 1-3 5E west to TH 610 • I -35E south from St. Paul CBD to 1-494 • I-94 between the two downtowns • TH 61 south from St. Paul to Cottage Grove • TH 77 from 1-3 5E to County Rd. 42 • TH 169/County Rd. 18 from TH 610 to TH 101 • I -35W north from County Rd. I to 95th • 1-3 5E north from TH 36 to White Bear Lake • Extension of HOV lane on I -35W from I-494 to 46th Street 15 Figure 4. Twin Cities Transportation System Examples of Specific Highway Projects (to be completed by 2015) Sh1 t me WrigI t�`-- •�- _ i 1 169 i —16 a m -� - — nn pin , s h i ng on r� 77 ��-�-.r -- - -- - --------- Highway Projects Proposed FAST Lanes In 2000 MUSA as of Oct. 1998 ® 494/694 Beltway 0 1.5 3 6Miles County Boundaries Mimesota Department of Transportation FAST Lane and Beltway Data N w+e s Prepared for the Minnesota C+wrrber of Corrvneroe bY Mimesota LCC -G15, Jammy, 2004. N Figure 5. Twin Cities Transportation System Examples of Specific Transit Projects (to be completed by 2015) Transit Projects Commuter Rail Unspecified Transitway Light Rail Transit (LRT) - Dedicated Busway Downtown Busway Connector Altemative Existing HOV Lane - Proposed HOV Lane - Existing Bus -Only Shoulder Proposed Bus -Only Shoulder County Boundaries In 2000 MUSA as of Oct. 1998 Twin Cities Metropolitan Council Transit 2025. Regional Transit Master Plan N W+E S 0 2 4 gMiles Prepared for the Mmesota Chamber of Cortvrerce by Minnesota LCC-G1S, January, 2004. 1 Metropolitan Coalition of Chambers Anoka Area Chamber of Commerce Peter Turok Anoka Area Chamber of Commerce 12 Bridge Square Anoka, MN 55303 763-421-7130 mail@anokaareachamber.com Butch Melton Sam's Club/Maple Grove 16701 94th Ave North Maple Grove, MN 55311 763-416-5320 Burnsville Chamber of Commerce Daron Van Helden Burnsville Chamber of Commerce 101 West Burnsville Parkway #150 Burnsville, MN 55337 952-435-6000 daron@bumsvillechamber.com Jim Marchessault Business Card Service, Inc 3200 143rd Circle Burnsville, MN 55306 952-895-6714 jimm@bsp-mail.com Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce Pat MulQueeny Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce 7901 Flying Cloud Drive Suite 270 Eden Prairie, MN 55344 952-944-2830 pat.mulqueeny@epchamber.org Elk River Area Chamber of Commerce Jeff Gongoll Elk River Area Chamber of Commerce 509 Highway 10 Elk River, MN 55330 763-441-3110 eracc@elkriverchamber.org Liz Harris Elk River Star New and Shopper 506 Freeport Ave Elk River, MN 55330 763-441-3500 liz.harris@ecm-inc.com Forest Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Debby Feist Forest Lake Area Chamber of Commerce 20 N Lake Street Suite 220 Forest Lake, MN 55025 651-464-3200 debby@flacc.org Rob Griffin Gaughan Properties 20 N Lake Street Suite 312 Forest Lake, MN 55025 651-464-5700 rob@gaughan.net Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce Michelle Jacobs Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce 111 E Third Street Hastings, MN 55033 651-437-6775 michelle@hastingsmn.org Marcia Rash Wells Fargo Bank 1360 S. Frontage Road Hastings, MN 55033 952-433-4242 marcia.j.rash@wellsfargo.com 19 Metropolitan Coalition of Chambers I-94 West Chamber of Commerce Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce Kathleen Poate Todd Klingel I-94 West Chamber of Commerce Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce PO Box 95 81 South Ninth Street Suite 200 Rogers, MN 55374 Minneapolis MN 55402 763-428-2921 612-370-9100 kpoate@i94westchamber.org tkingel@minneapolischamber.org Bill Endres John Lawson Riverview Community Bank Schechter Dokken Kanter Andres & Selcer Ltd PO Box 306 100 Washington Ave S Suite 1600 Elk River, MN 55330 Minneapolis MN 55401 763-663-0103 612-332-5500 jlawson@sdkcpa.com Midway Chamber of Commerce North Hennepin Area Chamber of Commerce Lori Fritts Dave Looby Midway Chamber of Commerce North Hennepin Area Chamber of Commerce 1600 University Ave #4 3619 85th Ave North Suite A 10 1 St Paul, MN 55104 Brooklyn Park, MN 55443 651-646-2636 7934246744 fritts@midwaychamber.com dave@nhachamber.com Kou Vang Don DeMorett JB Realty Company of St. Paul Robert Bosch Packaging Technology 1885 University Avenue West 8700 Wyoming Ave N St. Paul, MN 55104 Brooklyn Park, MN 55445 651-645-5500 763-493-6720 jkvang@jbrealtyco.com don.demorett@boschpackaging.com MetroNorth Chamber of Commerce Northern Dakota County Chambers of Commerce Tom Snell MetroNorth Chamber of Commerce Ruthe Batulis 277 Coon Rapids Blvd #101 Northern Dakota County Chambers of Coon Rapids MN 55433 Commerce 763-783-3553 1121 Town Centre Drive Suite 102 chamber@metronorthchamber.com Eagan, MN 55121 763-783-3557 651-452-9872 rbatulis@ndcchambers.com Duane Arens Connexus Energy 14601 Ramsey Boulevard Ramsey, MN 55303 763-323-2719 duanea@connexusenergy.com 20 Metropolitan Coalition of Chambers Northwest Suburban Chamber of Commerce Barbara Lantsberger Northwest Suburban Chamber of Commerce 8200 County Road 116 Suite 100 Corcoran, MN 55340 763-420-3242 info@nwschamber.com Michael Hayes Anoka Air Charter, Inc P.O. Box 49541 Minneapolis, MN 55449 763-783-1866 Michael.hayes@anokaairchamber.com Quad Area Chamber of Commerce Tim Rehbine Quad Area Chamber of Commerce 471 Apollo Drive Suite 10 Lino Lakes, MN 55014 651-792-8911 tim@quadchamber.com Richfield Chamber of Commerce Steve Lindgren Richfield Chamber of Commerce 6601 Lyndale Ave South Suite 106 Richfield MN 55423 612-866-5100 richcofc@aol.com Mary Bjugan Richfield State Insurance 6601 Lyndale Ave S Suite 310 Richfield MN 55423 612-861-8300 rsi@richfieldinsurance.com River Heights Chamber of Commerce Jennifer Gale River Heights Chamber of Commerce 5782 Blackshire Path Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076 651-451-2266 jennifer@riverheights.com Ed Gutzman Mainstreet Bank 835 Southview Blvd South Saint Paul, MN 55075 651-256-7208 edg@localbankers.com Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce Larry Dowell Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce 401 No Robert Suite 150 St Paul, MN 55101 651-223-5000 larry@saintpaulchamber.com Sandra Westerman Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce 401 No Robert Suite 150 St Paul, MN 55101 651-223-5000 sandra@saintpaulchamber.com Don Maietta Coldwell Banker Burnet 4525 White Bear Parkway White Bear Lake, MN 55110 651-426-1671 dmaietta@cbburnet.com 21 Metropolitan Coalition of Chambers Twin Cities North Chamber of Commerce Shannon Meyer Twin Cities North Chamber of Commerce 5394 Edgewood Drive Suite 100 Mounds View, MN 55112 763-571-9781 info@saccc.org Chuck Morris Micro Control Company 7956 Main Street NE Fridley, MN 55432 763-786-8750 c.morris@microcontrol.com TwinWest Chamber of Commerce Barb Obershaw TwinWest Chamber of Commerce 10550 Wayzata Blvd Minnetonka, MN 55305 952-540-0234 barbara@twinwest.com Brian McClung TwinWest Chamber of Commerce 10550 Wayzata Blvd Minnetonka MN 55305 952-540-0234 brian@twinwest.com David Lenzen Liberty Diversified Industries 5600 N Hwy 169 New Hope, MN 55428 763-536-6600 davidlenzen@libertydiversified.com Wayzata Area Chamber of Commerce Diane Wilson Wayzata Area Chamber of Commerce 402 E. Lake Street Wayzata, MN 55391 952-473-9595 dwilson@wayzatachamber.com Kathy Probelski Wells Fargo 15600 Wayzata Blvd Suite 105 Wayzata, MN 55391 952-249-0446 kathy.b.probelski@wellsfargo.com White Bear Area Chamber of Commerce Patricia Brannan White Bear Area Chamber of Commerce 4801 Highway 61 Suite 109 White Bear Lake, MN 55110 651-429-8593 pbrannan@whitebearchamber.com Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Bill Blazar Minnesota Chamber of Commerce 400 Robert Street North, Suite 1500 St Paul MN 55101 651-292-4658 bblazar@mnchamber. com Jennifer Byers Minnesota Chamber of Commerce 400 Robert Street North, Suite 1500 St Paul MN 55101 651-292-4673 jbyers@mnchamber.com Amanda Peterson Minnesota Chamber of Commerce 400 Robert Street North, Suite 1500 St Paul MN 55101 651-292-4699 apeterson@mnchamber.com Kendra Shank Minnesota Chamber of Commerce 400 Robert Street North, Suite 1500 St Paul MN 55101 651-292-4674 kshank@mnchamber.com 22 n wrn \Cites° Trans�portafion System: A business perspective on meeting regional needs, �{ y Issued May 2003 ... amertdedtlJanuaiy 2004 . ."4'T P7 pofitan Coalvn of 'Cham ers Goats 4 �A s perspesfive on and rneridations fortransportabon 7 : investments,,{ ensure that'future invesft" ,,:, . ,- opportunities'for economic growth'`71 Metropolitan Coalition of Chambers Recommendations Y Examples of investments that meet our principles for transportation system Absence of project does not imply lack of soundness or regional significance > Unlisted projects should be selected and prioritized based on our principles Metropolitan Coalition of Chambers Recommendations Y_ Highway/Road =1-494/1-694 Beltway: Complete 6 lanes FAST Lanes Metropolitan Coalition: o Chambers Recommendations — i b"' olitan Coalition., f WChambers Recommendations- Freight ecommendations Freight Additional intermodal facility Regional air freight distribution center' ,Open HOV lanes to trucks ' ' '"` Metropolitan Coalition of Chambers Funding Y In 8003, supported Minnesota Transportation Coalition proposal ;- in X004, seek greater level of bonding for transportation Y Discussion topic today 1. Metropolitan Coalition of x,. Chambers 2004 Legislative Priorities r MCC believes that at least t25 Pei -cent of t state'bonding in 2004 shoutd be for transportation projects Y. MCG supports the creation of FASTrI t ' - MCC supportss further examnation air -freight issue Metropolitan Coalition of Chambers Next Steps > Continue to urge region's policymakers to make our principles their "benchmark" a Lobby state legislators on 2004 priorities Y Present report to other audiences. Past presentations have included: o Met Council Transportation Committee a. Waoouta Bridge Coalition a 1-094 Corrklor Coalition a Minnetonka City Coiuicd,'` Metropolitan Coalition of Chambers: What's News? Business speaking as a unified region► voice - Business addressing regional transportation Y Business supporting multi -modal approach Vt : .r , MVWTYT: ,zt lllletropolitan Coal tion o Chambers Small Group Discussion Exercise Two Discussion Topics 't) Funding — Of the funding options discussed earfier what ale your top three choices? What are the pro's and con's of your top three? Are there any funding solutions listed in theA tablethat you are completely opposed 3j Alb's PriuirFtles — Oo'you support the three priorities that MCC has idem ded for the 2004 session? Do you have anything you would add to the list of MGC pnorrties , R +r T •o e�'a i. U � ct v°1 U r. O .r O hal • rA r cz it O UCIZS .° s t cnO r ¢ r O y En tt � c LI T •n U 0 ^J CJ X L JV U z 65 s.s COO LE y q L O n C C � C v L J U V 3 U O O M U L 5UJ U '6 o ° _ ul 14 j• L. U •C% je - L ° h L N L ^ — n _ U T o O C U ° U O L O L = CJ .1 L z —. .� G ✓7 0 .7 r tj Q u. LL J M L 0 o Lnc ° �_ v° •� . � ice.. y ii.. 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