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MEMORANDUM <br />TO: ORONO CITY COUNCIL <br />FROM: JEREMY BARNHART, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR <br />SUBJECT: METROPOLITAIN COUNCIL REFORM DISCUSSION <br />DATE: AUGUST 22, 2016 <br />There has been discussion over the past few years regarding the need for reform on <br />how the Metropolitan Council operates. More recently, a coalition of counties and <br />some communities, mainly from suburbs and suburban counties all serviced by the <br />Met Council, have established goals and objectives, a primary one being a goal to <br />expand local government representation on the Metropolitan Council. <br />A coalition has been formed, and local governments have been asked to sign a <br />resolution supporting their goals and objectives, outlined in Exhibit B. Their update <br />letter is Exhibit A. Communities that have signed on do not represent a majority of <br />the metro area but are listed in Exhibit C. <br />The Citizen League is a non-profit policy organization that recommends and advances <br />creative solutions to problems facing Minnesotans. They convened a task force to <br />study the issue and provided additional viewpoint. Their executive summary is <br />attached as Exhibit D. Their complete, final report may be found by following the <br />following link: http://cidzensleagLie.org/the-citizens-league-metropolitan-council- <br />task-force/ <br />Staff requests direction or discussion on the topic. Having our Met Council <br />representative, Jennifer Munt, attend a Council meeting in the future could be a next <br />step in the analysis of this issue. <br />Attachments <br />Exhibit A. Coalition update letter <br />Exhibit B. Coalition goals and objectives <br />Exhibit C. List of Communities <br />Exhibit D. Citizens League executive summary and related news article. <br />