1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to metropolitan government; providing for 
  1.3             nonvoting members to serve on the metropolitan 
  1.4             council; requiring a plan for expanding the membership 
  1.5             of the transportation advisory board; requesting the 
  1.6             legislative audit commission to direct a study of the 
  1.7             1994 merger of metropolitan agencies into the 
  1.8             metropolitan council; requiring a report; amending 
  1.9             Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 473.123, subdivisions 
  1.10            1, 3, and by adding a subdivision.  
  1.11  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.12     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 473.123, 
  1.13  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.14     Subdivision 1.  [CREATION.] A metropolitan council with 
  1.15  jurisdiction in the metropolitan area is established as a public 
  1.16  corporation and political subdivision of the state.  It shall be 
  1.17  under the supervision and control of 17 voting members, all of 
  1.18  whom shall be residents of the metropolitan area. 
  1.19     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 473.123, 
  1.20  subdivision 3, is amended to read: 
  1.21     Subd. 3.  [MEMBERSHIP; APPOINTMENT; QUALIFICATIONS.] (a) 
  1.22  Sixteen voting members must be appointed by the governor from 
  1.23  districts defined by this section.  Each council member must 
  1.24  reside in the council district represented.  Each council 
  1.25  district must be represented by one member of the council. 
  1.26     (b) In addition to the notice required by section 15.0597, 
  1.27  subdivision 4, notice of vacancies and expiration of terms must 
  1.28  be published in newspapers of general circulation in the 
  2.1   metropolitan area and the appropriate districts.  The governing 
  2.2   bodies of the statutory and home rule charter cities, counties, 
  2.3   and towns having territory in the district for which a member is 
  2.4   to be appointed must be notified in writing.  The notices must 
  2.5   describe the appointments process and invite participation and 
  2.6   recommendations on the appointment.  
  2.7      (c) The governor shall create a nominating committee, 
  2.8   composed of seven metropolitan citizens appointed by the 
  2.9   governor, to nominate persons for appointment to the council 
  2.10  from districts.  Three of the committee members must be local 
  2.11  elected officials.  Following the submission of applications as 
  2.12  provided under section 15.0597, subdivision 5, the nominating 
  2.13  committee shall conduct public meetings, after appropriate 
  2.14  notice, to accept statements from or on behalf of persons who 
  2.15  have applied or been nominated for appointment and to allow 
  2.16  consultation with and secure the advice of the public and local 
  2.17  elected officials.  The committee shall hold the meeting on each 
  2.18  appointment in the district or in a reasonably convenient and 
  2.19  accessible location in the part of the metropolitan area in 
  2.20  which the district is located.  The committee may consolidate 
  2.21  meetings.  Following the meetings, the committee shall submit to 
  2.22  the governor a list of nominees for each appointment.  The 
  2.23  governor is not required to appoint from the list.  
  2.24     (d) Before making an appointment, the governor shall 
  2.25  consult with all members of the legislature from the council 
  2.26  district for which the member is to be appointed.  
  2.27     (e) Appointments to the council are subject to the advice 
  2.28  and consent of the senate as provided in section 15.066. 
  2.29     (f) Members of the council must be appointed to reflect 
  2.30  fairly the various demographic, political, and other interests 
  2.31  in the metropolitan area and the districts.  
  2.32     (g) Members of the council must be persons knowledgeable 
  2.33  about urban and metropolitan affairs. 
  2.34     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 473.123, is 
  2.35  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  2.36     Subd. 9.  [NONVOTING, AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIP.] In addition to 
  3.1   the voting members, the metropolitan council shall include 
  3.2   nonvoting, affiliate members representing the Minnesota and 
  3.3   Wisconsin counties adjacent to the metropolitan area.  The 
  3.4   governing body of an adjacent county may appoint one of its 
  3.5   members to serve as a nonvoting, affiliate member of the 
  3.6   metropolitan council for a term determined by the county 
  3.7   governing body.  The council shall compensate the nonvoting, 
  3.8   affiliate members as provided in section 15.0575, subdivision 3. 
  3.9      Sec. 4.  [PLAN TO EXPAND TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY BOARD; 
  3.10  REPORT.] 
  3.11     To coordinate better transportation planning between the 
  3.12  metropolitan area and the counties surrounding the metropolitan 
  3.13  area, the metropolitan council shall develop a plan for 
  3.14  expanding the transportation advisory board to include 
  3.15  representatives of the counties surrounding the metropolitan 
  3.16  area.  The metropolitan council shall prepare this plan in 
  3.17  consultation with representatives of the counties surrounding 
  3.18  the metropolitan area and the current transportation advisory 
  3.19  board.  The council shall report on its plan to the legislature 
  3.20  by January 15, 2000. 
  3.21     Sec. 5.  [LEGISLATIVE AUDIT OF 1994 MERGER.] 
  3.22     The legislative audit commission is requested to direct the 
  3.23  program evaluation division of the office of the legislative 
  3.24  auditor to study the 1994 merger of the metropolitan waste 
  3.25  control commission, metropolitan transit commission, and 
  3.26  regional transit board into the metropolitan council.  The study 
  3.27  would determine the operational efficiency, service 
  3.28  cost-effectiveness, and oversight and accountability of the 
  3.29  affected metropolitan agencies before they were merged into the 
  3.30  metropolitan council, and then compare those findings to the 
  3.31  efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and oversight of, and 
  3.32  accountability for, the same services under the direct control 
  3.33  of the metropolitan council. 
  3.34     Sec. 6.  [APPLICATION.] 
  3.35     Sections 1 to 4 apply in the counties of Anoka, Carver, 
  3.36  Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington.