Metropolitan Council - About us (original) (raw)

Legislative History of the Council

In the three-plus decades since the Metropolitan Council was formed, four milestones mark the evolution of the Council to what is today.

Council created in 1967

In 1967, the Minnesota Legislature declared that it was creating the Metropolitan Council "to coordinate the planning and development of the metropolitan area…" (Minn. Session Laws 1967, Section 1). In bills passed by a Conservative (Republican) House and Senate and signed into law by a Republican governor, a metropolitan agency, unique in the country, was established to deal with issues and create solutions that transcended the boundaries of the more than 200 jurisdictions then in existence.

In the 1950s and '60s, household wells in rapidly growing suburban communities were being contaminated by septic tanks, and wastewater service was fragmented. The Federal Housing Administration threatened to cease issuing mortgages for houses that were not connected to central sewer service because of contamination problems.

While these events were the immediate trigger for action, local officials, business leaders, state legislators, and public-interest groups recognized that there were problems and issues that affected the entire metro area and that they could not be adequately addressed with existing governmental arrangements.

Metropolitan Reorganization Act of 1974

In 1967 and later years, the Legislature created several new special-purpose commissions, including the Metropolitan Transit Commission and the Metropolitan Sewer Board. As the number of the regional agencies increased, the Metropolitan Reorganization Act of 1974 strengthened the Council's policy role over decisions of these regional agencies.

The act declared that "in order to achieve the goal of orderly growth and economic development in the metropolitan area, it is essential to establish a framework to coordinate effectively those proposals, projects… and plans which directly and substantially affect the development of the metropolitan area." (Article 1, Section 1, Minnesota Session Laws, 1974)

Metropolitan Land Planning Act of 1976

In the Metropolitan Land Planning Act of 1976, "the legislature finds and declares that the local governmental units within the metropolitan area are interdependent… [and that the] problems of urbanization and development transcend local governmental boundaries…." (Minn. Stats. 473.851)

The Minnesota Legislature passed the act to better coordinate land use planning by local communities with the Council's planning for regional systems — transportation, wastewater collection and treatment, airports, parks and open space.

Under the act, local governments prepare comprehensive plans and Council reviews them for consistency with plans for regional system. The act gave the Council the authority to require a modification to the plan if it would potentially have a substantial impact on or substantial departure from metropolitan system plans.

The Metropolitan Reorganization Act of 1994

The Metropolitan Reorganization Act of 1994 further strengthened the coordination of regional policy with operational and capital decisions. The act merged the functions of three agencies (the Metropolitan Transit Commission, the Regional Transit Board and the Metropolitan Waste Control Commission) into one — the Metropolitan Council.

The merger meant that the regional services and investments that are key to the region's growth and development — especially wastewater treatment and regular-route transit — would now be carried out consistent with the Council's overall policies and plans for the region.

Mears Park Center • 230 E 5th St. • St. Paul, MN 55101
Phone: 651-602-1000 • TTY: 651-291-0904
E-Mail: data.center@metc.state.mn.us