Agenda - Council - 09/23/1997 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Community Development Committee Meeting of September 1:5, 1997 METROPOLITAN COUNCIL Mears Park Centre. 230 East Fifth Street. St, Paul. Minnesota 55101-1634 Phone (612)602-1000 TDD (612) 291-0904 FAX (512) 602-1550 Metro Info (612) 602-1500 DATE: FROM: SUIMECT: September 10. 1997 Richard Thompson, (602-1457), Jay Lindgren (602-1723), Implications on Council Policies of Charter.Amendments in the City of Ramsey SUMMARY ISSUE: The Metropolitan Council's Corrmmnity Development Committee directed staff to analyze the existing and proposed charter amendments in the city of Ramsey to delta-mine their impacts on reKional policies and to recommend alternatiw courses o faction. POLICY IMPLICATIONS: The existing and proposed charter amendments in the city of Ramsey may be inconsistent with the Regional Blueprint including the regional growe, h strategy and may have substantial departures from or system impacts on a number of regional systems. These possible impacts and deparrares include: (1) future MUSA expansions may not be requested in Ramsey, result/a, g in low density, inefficient development outside the present MUSA; (2) people looking for typical city lots may ".jump over" Ramsey to places that have city lots such as St. Francis or Elk River; (3) the eit') will be unable to plan for high density, urban development, which is a critical goal of the Regional Blueprint; (4) the city will not be able to use sewer ¢lpacity that is reserved for it, that capacity will be fled up and will notbe able to be used elsewhere where communities more open to sewered development may need it; (5) households will be forced to choose other communities without adequate sewer capacity, which may represent a substantial departure fi'om Council policies; and (6) Mth these amendments, Ramsey may be serve-rely limited in its ability to plan and meet the requirements of the Metropolitan Land Planning Act. FI. fNDI~G UvEPLICATIONS: These charter amendments could impact MCES funding insofar as sewer interceptors may lay in the ground unused while MCES is compelled to build new or bigger interceptors elsewhere to service population grow',h that may have gone to Ramsey. PREVIOUS ACTIONS: None DISCUSSION: The Community Development Committee has requested staffto summarize the issues associated with the existing and proposed charier am~dments in the city of ILamsey. The charter amendments could have major effects upon the city's ability to plan and meet the requirements &the Land Planning Act. Furthermore, if thc'3, spread, the use of charter amendments could severely limit communities' abilities to plan. Finally, the charter amendments could have sy~em impacts, substantial departures from and major effects on Council policies. RECOMMENDATION: That the Community Development Committee Consider the Alternative Council Actions and give direction to staffas to the course of action relative to the Rarnsey cha.,'tm' amendments to be pursued. Staffwould recommend a combination of options four and five: · Have the conflict between the Council's legislative authority and policies and the charter amendments clarified by the legislature or through a judicial proceeding. * Have Council statTwork with Ramsey staffto determine ifth~ city can work within the limitations of the charter amendments to plan for some limited urban residential development. I I I I t I I i I i I