1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to land use planning; requesting the St. 
  1.3             Cloud area planning organization to assess and report 
  1.4             on the land use planning and coordinating issues of 
  1.5             the region. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [ST. CLOUD AREA PLANNING.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [PROPOSAL AND REPORT REQUESTED.] The St. 
  1.9   Cloud area planning organization, a joint powers organization 
  1.10  established under Minnesota Statutes, section 471.59, is 
  1.11  requested to develop a detailed assessment of the regional land 
  1.12  use, planning, and coordination issues of the St. Cloud region, 
  1.13  as provided in this section.  The area planning organization is 
  1.14  requested to submit a report on its assessment of needs and 
  1.15  proposed actions to the chairs of the senate metropolitan and 
  1.16  local government committee and the house of representatives 
  1.17  local government and metropolitan affairs committee and the 
  1.18  affected legislators, by November 15, 1996. 
  1.19     Subd. 2.  [ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED.] The area planning 
  1.20  organization may address the following issues in its report and 
  1.21  proposed legislation: 
  1.22     (1) the geographic boundaries of the region; 
  1.23     (2) legislation needed to ensure comprehensive and 
  1.24  effective regional land use planning and coordination; 
  1.25     (3) other issues that should be addressed at the regional 
  2.1   level, including, but not limited to, whether housing, transit 
  2.2   and transportation, water and sewers, and other services and 
  2.3   infrastructure should be addressed at the regional level; 
  2.4      (4) the need for consolidation of jurisdictions; 
  2.5      (5) the appropriate governance structure to address the 
  2.6   regional issues and needs identified; 
  2.7      (6) the appropriate funding sources for a regional 
  2.8   governance structure; 
  2.9      (7) the feasibility of implementing a tax-base sharing 
  2.10  program in the region; and 
  2.11     (8) other issues identified by the area planning 
  2.12  organization. 
  2.13     Sec. 2.  [APPLICATION.] 
  2.14     Section 1 applies in the counties of Benton, Sherburne, and 
  2.15  Stearns.