By Rep. Bob Vogel
I have always believed that people's needs and beliefs should come before political leader’s desires. I also believe the potential for success of that mantra seems to increase the closer to home we make decisions.
That is a key reason I have authored a bill (H.F. 1969) which states housing plans developed by the Met Council must receive approval from the Legislature before being implemented.
This issue has come to the forefront recently, with reports of standing-room-only crowds pleading with city councils on the metro area's fringe, to oppose a Met Council plan that would basically mandate new housing types and projects.
This is a big issue in the northern part of our District 20A, which lies in Scott County and falls under the Met Council's auspices. However, since we don’t live in a vacuum, plans such as this can also have a “ripple effect,” so I believe this bill potentially protects the concerns for all the people in the southern part of our district as well.
When the Met Council was legislated 50 years ago it was set up to plan for regional infrastructure – mainly roads and wastewater – for the seven-county metro area. Now it’s not uncommon to talk with people who believe it has gone far beyond that initial charge, and even to the point of unwanted social engineering. This concern is magnified by the fact that it is an unelected body, with taxing authority, and for the most part lacks oversight and accountability to the Legislature which put it into place.
Now after decades of “mission creep” it looks as if we have an unappointed governing body that has taken on more and more authority which would have been better handled by local elected officials who are accountable to the local citizens who elect them. Further compounding this problem is the Met Council has now grown into a bureaucracy with 4,200 employees and a budget of more than $900 million, which puts it in control of more financial resources than nearly every governmental entity it has jurisdiction over.
This leaves little doubt why the cities and counties in the metro area have a wide variety of concerns over mandates stipulated by the Met Council. Not only do these stipulations cause strain on local budgets with administration expense, but often they place unreasonable and excessive expectations on them in exchange for receiving the funds they deserve for things like transportation, housing, and other regional programs.
So the bill I have introduced, although targeted at a more immediate issue which needs to be addressed now (intervening for the protection of local governments relating to their choice and type of housing), it ideally also may prompt some discussion on how much influence any non elected body should have on local control of any local governmental unit.
As always I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on the above, or any others issues facing the Legislature. The best way to reach me is by emailing rep.bob.vogel@house.mnor by calling (651) 296-7065.
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