06-22-1992 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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F' S,- i; 'i.': im. “f f 'u '.■ I. '1 % V. ,■ > . Metropolitan Council and Its Role in Regional Governance The Metropolitan Council »as fonned to address specific pa->Mems. such as providing an adequate sewer system for Muineapoiis, St. Paul and the surrouniing suburbs, but it had a bniader focus Its mcssion was to KTve the metropolitan area. Its first members ook what could be called a pro-aciive stance and. over lime, became involved ui issues such as land use planning, parks and open space, and transportauon to allow for the orderly expansion of growth m the Twin Ciues metropolitan area Dunng the years since its inception to the present, however, the Metropolitan Council is perceived to have become more polittr»ied and is ofIhandedJ> referred to as the ’State Department of Metropolitan Affairs." It has, either by design or happenstance, beconre an enforcer of rules and regulauons. It has berome enmeshed in minutia »id dealing with the here-and now. functioning less as an institution of fdrwtml'ttiiirfang pUnning. Its condition became such that Gov. Ante Carlson called upon the Council to justify its existence or cease operauon. Whei the Council was created to address the issues of sewrts. transit, and parks and open space, it seem ^ natural for the Council to engage more heavily in the day-ti>-day activities of the systems md agencies it envisioned. The Council did noihmg wmng. per se Rather it seemed to instituiion,iJi/e its vision, which pulled it hack from forward-thinking 1. AMM Involvement: The Metropolitan Governance Ta.sk Force The Association of Metropolitan Municipalities, based on a rtcommendaiion from its own Futures Committee, named the Metropolitan Cjovemance Task Fvucc to examine the regional governance system for the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The AMM, acong upon concerns expressed by local officials, embarked upon this venture for several rea.sons; • The region seemed to have difficulty in addressing several cntical issues, such as water and air quality, waste management and tra-isii. • Some solutions, such as "con.solidition." have been atl>.inced even though they may not accomplish an intended goal. • Tlic Task Force offered a forum in which city officials could examine govemimcc systems that may not have been advanced. The Task Force's charge included: 1. Tht examination of the range of local and regional governmental services with an eye to where problems exist. 2. A review of various methods of governance. 3. The directives of making recommendations about which level the planning, coordination and delivery of local governmental services should occur, and making recommendations on the types of governance needed to achieve efficient service delivery. Tliese recommendations could include consideration about the specific re'? of the Metropolitan Council in the overall governance system, comments on which services should be delivered by the various units of government, and advice on the formation or deletion of regional agencies The Task Force conducted panel discussions to gain a better perspective of the Metropolitan Council and how it evolved. The Task Force heard from former Council chairs, current Council members, metropolitan agency representatives, “good government" Council watchers, county representatives, and appro priate members (tf the stale House (. 'epresentadves and Senate. In addition the Task Force looked to regional governances structures in the United States and Canada to sec what worked elsewhere. In this preliminary report, the Ta^ Force will focus on what it believes the Metropolitan Council ’s role should be in areaj of concern to the Metropolitan Area.