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The City of Minneapolis also passed a resolution on January 14, 2011, asking the Legislature to <br />reform the Council so that a "majority of council members shall be locally elected city and <br />county officials." <br />Furthermore, representatives of the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit <br />Administration, responsible for certifying the Council as eligible to receive federal transportation <br />and transit funding, have encouraged reform of the Council to make it "more directly <br />accountable to its public." <br />9) Would these principles turn the Metropolitan Council into a Council of Governments (COG)? <br />No. Councils of Governments have little authority beyond transportation planning and regional <br />coordination of service. The level of authority that the Legislature has granted the Metropolitan <br />Council, including the authority to levy taxes, is unique. None of the proposed principles <br />diminish Council authority in any way, and will not transform the Council into a COG. <br />10) Do you oppose the Governor? <br />No. This is not a partisan issue- we would feel the same way whether the Governor was a <br />Republican or a Democrat. What troubles us is that the entire membership and focus of the <br />Council can shift depending on who is in power. The Council should represent the interests of <br />the region, not a single individual. <br />11) Is this about the suburbs complaining? <br />No. This is about ensuring that the entire region feels represented by the Metropolitan Council. <br />12) Is the Met Council accountable to their constituents? <br />No. Although the Met Council has the power to levy taxes on metropolitan area residents, it is <br />not accountable to those residents and is instead solely accountable to the Governor, an <br />individual that over the last five election cycles was only once elected with majority support <br />from metro -area voters. <br />3 <br />