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Metropolitan Agencies <br />4-0 Service Availability Charge (SAC) <br />Metro Cities supports a SAC program that emphasizes equity, transparency, <br />simplification and lower rates. <br />Metro Cities supports a "growth pays for growth" approach to SAC as <br />recommended by a 2010 Task Force of Met Council members and city officials, and <br />that was subsequently adopted by the Met Council. This approach requires a <br />statutory change. If state statutes are modified to effect a "growth pays for growth" <br />method for SAC, the Metropolitan Council should convene a group of local officials <br />to identify any technical changes necessary for implementing the new structure. <br />Metro Cities supports allowing the Council to utilize the SAC `transfer' mechanism <br />provided for in state statute, when the SAC reserve fund is inadequate to meet debt <br />service obligations. Any use of the transfer mechanism must be done so within <br />parameters prescribed by state law and with appropriate notification and processes to <br />allow local official input and should include a timely `shift back' of any transferred funds <br />from the wastewater fund to the SAC reserve fund. <br />Metro Cities supports principles for SAC recommended by a 2014 work group that <br />examined the overall SAC program and structure. These include support for <br />program transparency and simplicity, equity for all served communities and <br />between current and future users, support for cities' sewer fee capacities, <br />administrative reasonableness, and weighing any program uses for specific goals <br />with the impacts to the program's equity, transparency and simplicity. As such, <br />Metro Cities opposes the use of the SAC mechanism to subsidize particular <br />Metropolitan Council goals and objectives. <br />Metro Cities supports the Metropolitan Council providing details on how any <br />changes to the SAC rate are determined. Metro Cities supports a periodic review of <br />MCES' customer service policies, to ensure that its processes are responsive and <br />transparent to communities, businesses and residents. Metro Cities supports <br />continued outreach by MCES to users of the SAC program to promote knowledge <br />and understanding of SAC charges and policies. <br />4-P Funding Regional Parks & Open Space <br />In the seven -county metropolitan area, regional parks essentially serve as state parks, and <br />the state should continue to provide capital funding for the acquisition, development and <br />improvement of these parks. State funding apart from Legacy funds should equal 40 <br />percent of the operating budget for regional parks. Legacy funds for parks and trails <br />should be balanced between metro and greater Minnesota. <br />46 2016 Legislative Policies <br />