Agenda - Council - 02/26/1979 - Laserfiche WebLink

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-2- such laws should be amended to exempt normal farm operations in designated agricultural districts. Ordinances and regulations applied to agricultural districts should not be designed to encourage or support nonwfarm development in those districts or to support such development elsewhere in the community at the expense of normal farm operations. RECOMMENDATION 4: Agencies at all levels of government which are responsible for the planning and development of local, regional, state or federal facilities incompatible with commercial agriculture should locate outside commercial agricultural districts and in such fashion that they will not directly or indirectly interfere with farm operations in that district. REC0bR~ENDATION 5: The Minnesota Municipal Board should prohibit the annexation of identified agricultural districts to adjacent municipalities when such land is to be used only for the expansion of non-farm development within the municipality. PROBLEM II Local governments often do not have the resources to plan and implement their planning effectively. Issues: A. They may not have the ability to pay for expertise. Responsibility: Additional county, metro, state and federal funds for planning by rural communities are needed. Support for local applications for such funds from the Metropolitan Council is also essential. B. Implementation of plans following adoption can be arbitrary (numerous variances, insufficient information on which to base decisions on controverial issues, inter- ference of personal relationships, and so forth). Responsibility: Primary responsibility rests with the local unit of government although support is needed from other levels too. C. There is insufficient familiarity with, and hence support .for, local plan and imple- mentation program during planning stages. Responsibility.: Local units must do more than just adopt plans and programs -- they must educate and familiarize their citizens to the importance and rationale of their plans and thus gain support for them in the long run. Professional planners must see public involvement and support as a part of the planning process. RECOMMENDATION 6: The State Legislature and Congress should appropriate additional monies fo~ local rural planning efforts and their implementation by either augmenting existing funding vehicles (metropolitan planning assistance grant program, 701 assistance, FmHA Section III) or through the establishment of new programs specificallt for rural planning. RECOMMENDATION 7: Counties in the Metropolitan Area should provide additional ~lanning expertise to units of government within their jurisdiction. RECObfl~ENDATION 8: Local enforcement and administration of adopted plans and ordinances should be consistent with the intent and purpose of such plans and ordinances. RECOMMENDATION 9: The securing of citizen involvement in and support for the goals, policies and standards for community development should be a major "item" in any local planning process. Contracts with private or public planning pro- fessionals for the preparation of local plans and ordinances should include specific provision for community education in the purpose of the planning process and for community input, PROBLEM III Poor communication and coordination among levels of government and between government and citizens. Issues: A. Communication of state or metro plans to local government and its citizens is frequently inadequate during plan preparation (trails, airports~ waste sites, etc.). Responsibility: Metropolitan and state agencies must be responsible for securing local input to their plans and programs before they are adopted, B~ There is need for improved methods of communication of agencies and citizens. Responsiblity: All levels of government must improve the cormmunications process. This process must be improved in all directions. The University of Minnesota Agricultural Extension Service is an additional education and communications resource which could be utilized.