Agenda Packets - 1990/06/18 - Laserfiche WebLink

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RELATIONSHIP TO THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL AND OPERATING AGENCIES As indicated in the Introduction, monitoring and oversight of the Metropolitan Council and regional operating agencies was the original focus of the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities. Yet in recent years, involvement with the Council and agencies has suffered appreciably as the AMM staff has had to spend more and more time supporting the work of its own committees and lobbying on statewide issues. In fact, the staff indicated that it now has almost no time for any involvement with the Metropolitan Council during the legislative session. The AMM currently nominates to the Metropolitan Council eight names for appoint- ment to the Transportation Advisory Board. The Association actually appoints ten to the Transportation Advisory Committee. That system seems to be working well. In contrast, the AMM, along with several other metropolitan area asso- ciations, was recently given legislative responsibility for suggesting appoin- tees to the Regional Transit Board. That process did not go well. The Board of Directors did not limit the number of people recommended for appointment to the vacant seats, and the Metropolitan Council heeded very few of its recommen- dations in making their selections. During its background work, the Task Force discussed the Metropolitan Council at some length with several legislators, as well as the current Chair of the Metropolitan Council and a former executive director of the Citizens League. There was a general feeling among the legislators that the Council has not been effective in performing its functions well. At the same time, it was suggested that the. Councilmembers are frustrated due to their lack of a "real clout" and constant legislative undercutting of their authority to accomplish the work for .hich they are responsible. .•th no consensus in the legislature or in the metropolitan area as to the appropriate amount of authority that should be vested in the Council, many metropolitan regional issues get resolved vis-a-vis the political process of the legislature. The shortcoming of this approach is that the metropolitan area is giving up some of the authority to set its own agenda. There is also some con- fusion and ambiguity over the relationship of the Council to the Governor, who is responsible by law for appointing its members. It was suggested that the AMM could very definitely be of help in defining the proper role for the Council and the operating agencies, and in mustering legislative support to enact needed changes. RECOMMENDATIONS The AMM should become more proactive in helping set the metropolitan agenda. Historically we have placed ourselves in somewhat of a watchdog or adver- sarial role with the Council and operating agencies, merely reacting to the proposals put forward. We should become more positive in identifying areas of legitimate regional involvement, and help to set the goals and objec- tives to be pursued by regional government, as well as the parameters within which that work will be carried out. We need to "be there". It is estimated that an AMM staff member should be at the Metropolitan Council and agencies from eight to sixteen hours per - 10 -