Agenda - Council Work Session - 02/23/2016

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ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW The Metropolitan Council organization consists of three operating divisions and supporting central administrative units (Regional Administration). The operating divisions report to the Regional Administrator who, in turn, reports to the 17 -member Council. The Regional Administrator is responsible to ensure that priorities and policy decisions of the Council are carried out. The Council's policy making and organization structure are shown on pages 6 & 8. REGIONAL ADMINISTRATION Regional Administration includes Council leadership and centralized administrative services that support the operating divisions. Services provided by Regional Administration include Information Services, Human Resources, Government Affairs, Communications, Legal, Risk Management, Program Evaluation and Audit, Procurement, Diversity and Equal Opportunity, Finance and Budget. The majority of the Regional Administration budget is allocated to the operating divisions. ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES Clean water and a clean environment are essential to a healthy life, and the Council is committed to both. The Council's Environmental Services Division (MCES) is nationally renowned for its superior work treating wastewater, monitoring water quality, and planning to ensure a long-range water supply to meet future demand. MCES provides high-quality, cost-efficient service that protects public health and the environment. MCES consistently receives near -perfect compliance with federal and state water discharge standards while holding rates well below the national average for similar -sized systems. 7 The capital program for Environmental Services includes funding to preserve wastewater facilities by rehabilitating or replacing existing treatment plant and sewer facilities and equipment. A majority of the capital program is focused on preservation activities. TRANSPORTATION Transportation planning and regional transit play an essential role in the regional economy. Transit gets people to jobs and school, eases traffic congestion, improves air quality, saves commuters money, and reduces carbon emissions. The Council's 2015 budget for Transportation preserves existing service in the region and meets increasing demands for Metro Mobility services. Capital investments in Transportation include the preservation of the vehicle fleet, customer facilities, support facilities, technology improvements and rail projects. The capital plan also supports transitway development through completion of the Green Line light rail (Central Corridor), the Green Line Extension light rail (Southwest Corridor), and the Blue Line Extension light rail (Bottineau). COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT The Council develops the regional comprehensive development plan that helps guide the future growth of the region. The current plan is called Thrive MSP 2040.