HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-02-02 PACKET 04.K.REQUEST OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION COUNCIL AGENDA
MEETING ITEM #
DATE °
PREPARED BY Administration Ryan Schroeder
ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD
COUNCIL ACTION REQUEST
Consider authorizing a letter to the Washington County Board of Commissioners regarding
transportation issues.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Authorize the letter.
Ia 014
® MEMO /LETTER:
❑ RESOLUTION:
❑ ORDINANCE:
❑ ENGINEERING RECOMMENDATION:
❑ LEGAL RECOMMENDATION:
❑ OTHER:
ADMINISTRATORS COMMENTS
City Ad ' istrator ,A Date
COUNCIL ACTION TAKEN: APPROVED ❑ DENIED ❑ OTHER
Documentl
City of
Cotta Grove
Minnesota
7516 80th Street South / Cottage Grove, Minnesota 55016 -3195
www. cottage -g rove.org
February 2, 2011
Washington County Board of Commissioners
Attn: Mr. Gary Kriesel, Board Chair
14949 62nd Street North
Stillwater. MN 55082
Dear Chair Kriesel,
651- 458 -2800 Fax 651 -458 -2897
TDD 651- 458 -2880
It has come to our attention that the County Board will soon be discussing continued participation, or lack
thereof, in the metro CTIB process. The City of Cottage Grove would appreciate participation in that discussion.
Further, it would be our suggestion that the County solicit participation from other jurisdictions within the
County prior to any change in participation by the County in or out of the process.
Having access to conversations regarding transportation and transit funding and decision- making regarding
project funding is of utmost importance to our part of the metro area. In whatever decisions are made by the
Board we would urge that the County not remove itself from spending decisions and funding allocation
discussions which will occur, with or without County participation, by MNDOT, the Metropolitan Council and
others. Given that the cities, generally, have not been significant players in the broader transportation /transit
funding conversations we are not currently aware of where future opportunities may or may not be. We believe
that as partners with the County in infrastructure and transit projects the cities probably need to be more
engaged in these conversations than perhaps we have been in the past. We are looking for your leadership in
engaging us and other cities in these conversations prior to any policy decisions that may impact Cottage Grove
and our peer communities.
The issue of Transportation infrastructure and Transit funding has been a primary goal area of the City of
Cottage Grove since at least 2002. We have been active on the Wakota and Hastings Bridge Coalitions and also
the Red Rock and High Speed Rail Commissions. We are building our community with transportation and transit
issues at the forefront of our planning activities. We see enhancements in this area are integral in our creation
of new neighborhoods, businesses, and job creation. These are important issues to us.
Thank you for your consideration and we thank you in advance for broadening the conversation regarding
metro /county transportation and transit funding.
On behalf of the Cottage Grove City Council
Myron Bailey
Mayor
CC: Autumn Lehrke, Washington County Board of Commissioners
Jim Shug, Washington County Administrator
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