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• <br /> r <br /> 1 METRO RELATIONS INC. <br /> October 11 , 1990 <br /> Rick Minetor <br /> Actg Administrator <br /> 2401 Hwy 10 <br /> Mounds View, MN 55112 <br /> Dear Mr . Minetor : <br /> What is the most costly line item in many city budgets? <br /> What public agency pays many of the highest wages and fringe <br /> benefits in the metropolitan area? <br /> What public agency gets 95 percent of its $120,000,000 operating <br /> revenues from cities? <br /> What public agency that serves cities exclusively has no direct <br /> city voice in its affairs? <br /> The answer to all of these questions is: the Metropolitan Waste <br /> Control Commission. <br /> The Metropolitan Waste Control Commission (MWCC) ranks right <br /> behind the Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) with the second <br /> largest budget of all the metropolitan agencies . Contrary to the <br /> MTC, which receives its revenues from the fare box, the state <br /> government, the federal government , as well as a tax within each <br /> city, the MWCC gets 95 percent of its current $120, 000 , 000 budget <br /> from the cities . That means the cities must come up with <br /> $114, 000, 000. And there is no opting out ! <br /> The MWCC charges continue to grow. At a time when many cities <br /> are forced to curtail some municipal services because of reduced <br /> revenues , the cost of wastewater treatment is going up at <br /> historically unprecedented rates. <br /> u _ e . g .: - . . ■ ■ <br /> levy limit law imposed on cities. It can raise rates at will. <br /> THE PROBLEM: No one speaks for the cities . There is no one <br /> consistently and intensively watching the Commission and <br /> advocating the interests of cities . There is no one consistently <br /> doing analyses to assure that MWCC activities and expenditures <br /> are necessary and in the interests of its users, the cities. <br /> Such lack of oversight has contributed to some known , and <br /> probably many unknown, excessive expenditures in the past. For <br /> example , at the present time many MWCC personnel and fringe <br /> benefit costs far exceed comparable municipal personnel and 0 <br /> fringe benefit costs. Yet, it is the cities which pay these <br /> costs . In addition, not only are these expenditures a direct <br /> added cost through rate charges to cities, but a secondary cost <br /> is that such practice complicates municipal labor negotiations . <br /> 5913 Chowen South • Minneapolis, Minnesota 55410 • (612) 926-6201 9 <br />