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Counties Transit Improvement Board A Joint Powers Board of the Counties of Anoka, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey and Washington June 19, 2008 The Honorable Jan Callison, President Metro Cities 145 University Avenue West Saint Paul, MN 55103 Dear Mayor Callison: On behalf of the Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB), I am writing to request that the Association of Metro Municipalities hold, as soon as practical, the election of the city representatives to the CTIB's Grant Evaluation and Ranking System (GEARS) committee. As you may be aware Anoka, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey and Washington Counties have created the CTIB in order to administer the new quarter -cent sales tax for transitway development in the five counties. We are very excited about this new dedicated source of revenue and the system of transitways it will build which will allow us to better serve the residents and businesses of the five - county area. We appreciated the city's support for the transportation bill this year and welcome the participation of the cities in the evaluation process. We believe the new law acknowledges the important role of local elected officials in identifying needs and implementing these critical transit projects. The GEARS committee will consist of five county commissioners appointed by the county boards, eight city officials and the chair of the Metropolitan Council Transportation Committee. The GEARS committee will be responsible for ranking and evaluating eligible transit projects for funding by the CTIB. It is CTIB's intent to act quickly to meet certain urgent funding needs. We anticipate that the CTIB will solicit its first round of grant applications later this summer. This first solicitation will be a streamlined and limited process, in order to address the critical concerns. It is our hope that GEARS will be established within the next month and be ready to start work with us later this fall with this exciting new process. It is our plan to hold a workshop in mid - August to fully brief GEARS committee members on roles, responsibilities and the 2008 grant process. It is important for you to know that the CTIB has only met twice and is working hard to address the issues arising in the development of a new organization charged with such an important responsibility. At this point, we have more questions than we have answers. We will work to keep you informed as we progress. We would appreciate a report on your elections at the next meeting of the CTIB on July 24th. CTIB 477 Selby Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55102 6