SAINT PAUL, MN - On Friday, Rep. Tony Albright, R-Prior Lake, re-passed legislation to reform the Metropolitan Council to make it more accountable to Minnesotans. The bill, SF2809/HF3273, passed in the House on a vote of 72-48.
Now approved by the House and the Senate, the bill heads to the governor’s desk for a signature.
“Put simply, this bill is about good governance for Minnesotans,” said Albright. “It’s great news for our state to have this bill make its final stop in the legislature and be on its way to the governor’s desk. I encourage Governor Dayton to sign this bill into law to help give area residents more input in these important regional decisions, and provide accountability for the unelected Met Council.”
Currently, Met Council members are only appointed by the sitting governor. The bill would require locally elected officials to be on the council, stagger terms of members, and eliminate the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB).
“This legislation would put the Met Council in line with every other Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) in the country by requiring locally elected officials to be part of the board," said Albright. “The Met Council is in charge of billions of dollars and has the ability to levy taxes on citizens who have no avenue of recourse if they disagree with these decisions. By putting local elected officials on the Met Council, Twin Cities residents have a way to hold their officials accountable, rather than the current format where Met Council members only answer to the governor.”
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