1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to metropolitan government; metropolitan area 
  1.3             transit; providing for the financing of metropolitan 
  1.4             area transit and paratransit capital expenditures; 
  1.5             modifying the requirements for employer sales of 
  1.6             discount bus passes; deleting obsolete and duplicative 
  1.7             language; authorizing a demonstration program for 
  1.8             alternative allocations of regional transit subsidies; 
  1.9             amending Minnesota Statutes 1996, sections 473.39, by 
  1.10            adding a subdivision; 473.408, subdivision 7; and 
  1.11            473.446, subdivision 1a.  
  1.12  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.13     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 473.39, is 
  1.14  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.15     Subd. 1d.  [OBLIGATIONS; 1998-2000.] In addition to the 
  1.16  authority in subdivisions 1a, 1b, and 1c, the council may issue 
  1.17  certificates of indebtedness, bonds, or other obligations under 
  1.18  this section in an amount not exceeding $46,000,000, which may 
  1.19  be used for capital expenditures as prescribed in the council's 
  1.20  transit capital improvement program and for related costs, 
  1.21  including the costs of issuance and sale of the obligations. 
  1.22     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 473.408, 
  1.23  subdivision 7, is amended to read: 
  1.24     Subd. 7.  [EMPLOYEE PLAN DISCOUNT PASSES.] The council may 
  1.25  offer monthly passes for regular route bus service for sale to 
  1.26  employers at a special discount subject to the provisions of 
  1.27  this subdivision.  An employer may be eligible to purchase 
  1.28  passes at a special discount if the employer agrees to establish 
  2.1   a payroll deduction plan as a means for its employees to 
  2.2   purchase the passes at a price at or below the amount charged by 
  2.3   the council.  The special discount on passes sold pursuant to 
  2.4   this subdivision shall be determined by the council. 
  2.5      Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 473.446, 
  2.6   subdivision 1a, is amended to read: 
  2.7      Subd. 1a.  [TAXATION WITHIN TRANSIT AREA.] For the purposes 
  2.8   of sections 473.405 to 473.449, and the metropolitan transit 
  2.9   system, the metropolitan council shall levy upon all taxable 
  2.10  property within the metropolitan transit area but outside of the 
  2.11  metropolitan transit taxing district, defined in subdivision 2, 
  2.12  a transit tax, which shall be equal to ten percent of the sum of 
  2.13  the levies provided in subdivision 1, clauses (a) to (c).  The 
  2.14  proceeds of this tax shall be used only for paratransit services 
  2.15  or ride sharing programs designed to serve persons located 
  2.16  within the transit area but outside of the transit taxing 
  2.17  district.  
  2.18     The regional transit board shall annually determine which 
  2.19  cities and towns qualify for the 0.510 or 0.765 tax capacity 
  2.20  rate reduction and certify this list to the county auditor on or 
  2.21  before September 15.  No changes shall be made to the list after 
  2.22  September 15 of the same levy year. 
  2.23     Sec. 4.  [DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.] 
  2.24     Notwithstanding Minnesota Statutes, section 473.384, 
  2.25  subdivision 6, regarding percentages of total operating costs to 
  2.26  be subsidized by the metropolitan council, until June 30, 2001, 
  2.27  the metropolitan council may establish the appropriate 
  2.28  percentage operating subsidy to be granted to individual 
  2.29  recipients under the subdivision.  The metropolitan council must 
  2.30  establish the percentage annually, based on available transit 
  2.31  funds and the council's determination of a reasonable subsidy 
  2.32  per passenger trip in comparison to similar transit or 
  2.33  paratransit service in the metropolitan area.  The council may 
  2.34  provide a subsidy up to 100 percent of a recipient's operating 
  2.35  costs for all or any portion of the transit or paratransit 
  2.36  service, and may require recipients to pay up to 100 percent of 
  3.1   their own operating costs for all or any portion of the service. 
  3.2      Sec. 5.  [APPLICATION.] 
  3.3      Sections 1 to 4 apply in the counties of Anoka, Carver, 
  3.4   Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington.