HF 1196

as introduced - 87th Legislature (2011 - 2012) Posted on 03/17/2011 09:56am

A bill for an act
relating to transportation; allocating funds for transit operations from a
metropolitan area transportation sales and use tax; amending Minnesota Statutes
2010, section 297A.992, subdivision 5.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 297A.992, subdivision 5, is amended to
read:

Subd. 5.

Grant application and awards; Grant Evaluation and Ranking System
(GEARS) Committee.

(a) The joint powers board shall establish a grant application
process and identify the amount of available funding for grant awards. Grant applications
must be submitted in a form prescribed by the joint powers board. An applicant must
provide, in addition to all other information required by the joint powers board, the
estimated cost of the project, the amount of the grant sought, possible sources of funding
in addition to the grant sought, and identification of any federal funds that will be utilized
if the grant is awarded. A grant application seeking transit capital funding must identify
the source of money necessary to operate the transit improvement.

(b) The joint powers board shall establish a timeline and procedures for the award of
grants, and may award grants only to the state and political subdivisions. The board shall
define objective criteria for the award of grants, which must include, but not be limited to,
consistency with the most recent version of the transportation policy plan adopted by the
Metropolitan Council under section 473.146. The joint powers board shall maximize the
availability and use of federal funds in projects funded under this section.

(c) The joint powers board shall establish a GEARS Committee, which must consist
of:

(1) one county commissioner from each county that is in the metropolitan
transportation area, appointed by its county board;

(2) one elected city representative from each county that is in the metropolitan
transportation area;

(3) one additional elected city representative from each county for every additional
400,000 in population, or fraction of 400,000, in the county that is above 400,000 in
population; and

(4) the chair of the Metropolitan Council Transportation Committee.

(d) Each city representative must be elected at a meeting of cities in the metropolitan
transportation area, which must be convened for that purpose by the Association of
Metropolitan Municipalities.

(e) The committee shall evaluate grant applications following objective criteria
established by the joint powers board, and must provide to the joint powers board a
selection list of transportation projects that includes a priority ranking.

(f) A grant award for a transit project located within the metropolitan area, as defined
in section 473.121, subdivision 2, may be funded only after the Metropolitan Council
reviews the project for consistency with the transit portion of the Metropolitan Council
policy plan and one of the following occurs:

(1) the Metropolitan Council finds the project to be consistent;

(2) the Metropolitan Council initially finds the project to be inconsistent, but after a
good faith effort to resolve the inconsistency through negotiations with the joint powers
board, agrees that the grant award may be funded; or

(3) the Metropolitan Council finds the project to be inconsistent, and submits the
consistency issue for final determination to a panel, which determines the project to be
consistent. The panel is composed of a member appointed by the chair of the Metropolitan
Council, a member appointed by the joint powers board, and a member agreed upon by
both the chair and the joint powers board.

(g) Grants must be funded by the proceeds of the taxes imposed under this section,
bonds, notes, or other obligations issued by the joint powers board under subdivision 7.

(h) deleted text begin Notwithstanding the provisions of this subdivision, in fiscal year 2009, of
the initial revenue collected under this section, the joint powers board shall allocate
at least $30,783,000 to the Metropolitan Council for operating assistance for transit. deleted text end new text begin
Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, of the initial revenue collected under this
section, the joint powers board shall allocate to the Metropolitan Council:
new text end

new text begin (1) at least $....... in fiscal year 2012; and
new text end

new text begin (2) at least $....... in fiscal year 2013.
new text end

new text begin (i) The Metropolitan Council shall expend funds allocated under paragraph (h):
new text end

new text begin (1) for bus operations under sections 473.371 to 473.449, and excluding light rail
transit and commuter rail operations under sections 174.90, 473.3993 to 473.3999, and
473.4051 to 473.4057; and
new text end

new text begin (2) solely within those counties that are in the metropolitan transportation area.
new text end

new text begin Nothing in this paragraph or paragraph (h) prevents grant awards to the Metropolitan
Council for capital and operating assistance for transit ways and park-and-ride facilities.
new text end