Agenda Packets - 1987/01/12 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Metropolitan Council Pre -Drafting Notice for Preparation of the Transit Portion of the Transportation Policy Plan of the Metropolitan Development Guide Preface Periodically, the Metropolitan Council updates the various chapters of the region's long-term plan, the Development Guide, in response to changes in trends and the availability of new information. In 1987, the Council intends to update the Transportation Chapter, including its transit portion, the transit policy plan. A number of reasons exist for this update. First, the new Metro Governance Act changes the emphasis to be placed in the regional transit and sewers policy plans. More attention is to be paid to services rather than facilities and to monitoring the progress achieved by the Implementing agencies. Second, significant transportation issues have been raised since the last full update of the Transportation Chapter in 1983. Third, the Council is completing a new Metropolitan Development and Investment Framework. Fourth, a number of transportation studies currently under way are bringing new information into the regional transportation debate. Minn. Stat., Sec. '173.146 , subd. 2, as amended in 1986 as part of the new Metro Governance Act, requires that the Council publish a Pre -drafting Notice requesting comments from the public before beginning to prepare a substantial revision of the transit portion of the Transportation Chapter. The new chapter, however, will be an integrated document addressing not only transit but also the highway system even though the pre -drafting notice only applies to the transit portion. At least 90 days before publication of the transit pre -drafting notice, the Council shall submit a draft of it to the Regional Transit Board (RTB) for review and comment. The notice must include a statement of the subjects to be covered by the Council's Policy Plan and the RTB's Implementation Plan (to be subsequently prepared in response to the policy plan by the RTB), a summary of issues and matters to be addressed and a summary of the studies and information to be used as input to the plans. The concept of a pre -drafting notice is consistent with the public involvement process required under federal legislation, 23 USC 134. This legislation establishes a long-range planning effort for the highway and the transit systems to be carried out by the Council as the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Twin Cities Area. Participation by local units of government in the transportation planning process is ensured through the involvement of the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) and the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) which provide advise to the Council. 2. Policy Plan Content The Policy Plan will contain the items required in Minn. Stat., Sec. 473.146, subd. 1, as amended in 1986. The new legislation places special emphasis on services rather than facilities, on a detailed fiscal component of the plan and on a tracking procedure to monitor and evaluate the progress achieved by the RTB in the implementation of the Council's plan.