Message from the Chair - December 2003

A year of learning, challenge and achievement

Council Chair

Peter Bell

Cooperation, efficiency and accountability — these are the bywords of the 17-member Metropolitan Council Governor Pawlenty appointed early this year. Indeed, that has been our mantra as we focused on the Council's core mission of planning and coordinating orderly development in the seven-county metro area, and efficiently operating transit and wastewater treatment services.

It has been a year of learning, challenge and achievement as the Council demonstrated its commitment to those goals, in ways both large and small.

	Council milestones in 2003

	Drafted new 2030 Regional Development Framework, a growth plan emphasizing collaboration, flexibility and accountability - for adoption in January 2004.
Trimmed 2003 budget by 4 percent, eliminated 200 positions.
Held the line on proposed 2004 budget. Kept 2004 regional property tax levy at 2003 level for average-priced homes.
Created advisory panel of local elected officials to increase communication between Council and communities.
Worked toward completion of 12-mile Hiawatha light rail transit (LRT), set to open in April 2004.
Selected Metro Transit as most qualified and least costly operator of LRT.
Continued design work with Hennepin County on proposed $135 million busway between downtown Minneapolis and Rogers.
Awarded $14 million in Livable Communities Act (LCA) grants to support economic development, innovative redevelopment and affordable housing throughout the region.
Recognized for "overall excellence" in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2003 Smart Growth Achievement competition for LCA.
Received national awards for outstanding compliance with state and national water discharge permits at all eight wastewater treatment plants.
Awarded $1.4 million for projects to improve the region's water quality.

Most dramatically, the Council is on the verge of adopting the 2030 Regional Development Framework to guide the region's growth in coming years, rewriting the previous Council's Regional Blueprint. The document, due to be adopted in mid-January, is more clear and concise. It reflects the Council's commitment to work with communities in a collaborative and flexible manner. And it contains specific benchmarks to measure progress toward achieving regional goals.

Another major initiative was that of helping to balance the state's budget, which meant cutting the Council's '03 budget by nearly $17 million and eliminating more than 200 positions. In addition, the Council is holding the line on metro-area property taxes it levies, keeping the Council's overall property tax levy in '04 nearly constant with the '03 levy, consistent with the Governor's "no new taxes" pledge.

The 2004 budget, in fact, puts a stop to regular increases over past years in the property tax the Council levies on an average-priced home in the metro area, and our tax rate actually decreased by 7 to 10 percent, depending on the county.

The Hiawatha light rail project between downtown Minneapolis and Fort Snelling is nearly complete, with service scheduled to begin in April. New "smart card" fare collection technology is being installed on buses, and transit improvements are in the works with a boost from the Pawlenty Administration and its accelerated transportation investment package.

Wastewater treatment plants in the region were recognized for outstanding compliance with state and national clean water discharge permits. The Council held fast to its record of extremely competitive wastewater treatment rates, and awarded nearly $1 million in grants aimed at improving water quality in the region.

The Council was honored this year with a prestigious U.S. Environmental Protection Agency award for the Livable Communities program. We welcomed the city of Eagan back into the Livable Communities program, and awarded nearly $14 million in grants to communities to clean up brownfields, support innovative development and redevelopment and assist affordable housing initiatives.

And, for the second year in a row, the Council's housing authority, Metro HRA, achieved full use of its available Federal Section 8 housing choice vouchers by families and individuals with low incomes. The HRA, on average, helps nearly 7,000 households with rent assistance each month.

I have been truly impressed, each and every day of this year, by the reach of the Council and the depth and breadth of the issues before us. I look forward to another year of accomplishment.

Peter Bell

December 2003