Agenda - Council - 01/24/2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Metropolitan Agencies source. These characteristics should be present in any new regional system that might be established. Water supply and housing do not meet necessary established criteria for regional systems. Any proposed additional regional system must have an established regional or state funding source. 4-F Regional Water Supply Planning The 2005 Legislature authorized the Metropolitan Council to carry out regional planning activities to address the water supply needs of the Metro Area. A Metropolitan Area Water Supply Advisory Committee that includes state agency representatives and local officials was concurrently established to assist the Council in developing a master water supply plan that includes recommendations for clarifying the roles of local, regional and state governments, streamlining and consolidating approval processes and recommending future planning and capital investments. The Master Water Supply Plan serves as a framework for assisting and guiding communities in their water supply planning, without usurping local decision making processes. Many cities also conduct their own analyses for use in water supply planning. The extension of the committee, which includes five metro area municipal officials, allows the committee to continue to play a key role in the development and direction of water supply planning activities as the Master Plan is updated and implemented with additional information and data as they become available. As the Met Council continues its assessment of the region's water supply and issues around sustainability, the Council must work cooperatively with local policymakers and professional staff throughout the region on an on-going and structured basis, to ensure a base of information for water supply decision making that is sound, credible and verifiable, and that takes into account local information, data, cost-benefit analyses and projections before any resulting policy recommendations are issued. While Metro Cities supports regionally coordinated efforts to address water supply issues in the metropolitan area that include ongoing input by local elected officials and staff, Metro Cities opposes the elevation of water supply to regional system status. Metro Cities encourages the Metropolitan Council to consider the inter-relationships of wastewater treatment, storm water management and water supply. Any state and regional regulations and processes should be clearly stated in the Water Supply Plan. Further, regional monitoring and data collection benefits should be borne as shared expenses between the regional and local units of government. Metro Cities supports Metropolitan Council planning activities to address regional water supply needs and water planning activities as prescribed in statute. Metro Cities opposes the insertion of the Metropolitan Council as another regulator in the water supply arena. Metro Cities further opposes the elevation of water supply to "Regional System" status, or the assumption of Met Council control and management of municipal water supply infrastructure. 2017 Legislative Policies 42