Agenda Packets - 1983/10/24 - Laserfiche WebLink

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INTRODUCTION PURPOSE The Metropolitan Council is charged by state law with providing for the orderly and economic development of the seven -county Region. The goal is to preserve and improve the Region's quality of life. However, the Council's role with respect to the private sector and economic development is not well defined, either in legislation or in adopted Council policy. This document contains pro- posed goals and policies intended to help the Council in making decisions about projects that affect the economic development of the Region. Once adopted, the goals and policies will be added to the Metropolitan Development Framework (MDF), the Council's guided growth plan. The result will be to bring private sector needs and concerns into the regional planning process. THE PROCESS The proposed policies are in part based on efforts begun four years ago. In 1979, the Council began examining its role with regard to the private sector by discussing a series of background papers prepared by staff on the regional economy. That fall the Council established an Economic Technical Advisory Committee (ETAC) consisting of 10 members from the business community, two from labor and four from the government sector. ETAC spent two years examining current Council policies and potential roles for the Council with respect to the economy. It recommended revisions to the wording of some existing goals and policies, as well as some additional studies. The ETAC reports and recommendations, as well as the completed studies, are listed with other background documents on the last page of this document. Council staff worked on those studies in 1982 and 1983 and prepared the policies contained in this document. The Council is now involved in the public discussion phase in developing the policies (see schedule next page). To provide opportunity for community involvement in preparing the interim economic policies, the Council circulated a draft of this document and held public meetings in August to discuss the issues and receive comments of public officials, the business community and citizens. The policies in this document incorporate changes made following the public meetings. The policies will be the basis for the Council to initiate some regional economic development efforts in 1984. More detailed work and further staff and public discussion will take place during 1984. The policies will ultimately be adopted as a part of the revised Development Framework --expected in late 1984. 1