Message from the Council Chair: A heron, a duck, and a frog walk into a wastewater treatment plant We’ve been working to update the most downloaded file on our website, Wastewater Treatment for Kids, into the 21st century as an animated video. A heron, a duck, and a frog tell the story, explaining how wastewater is cleaned and returned to the environment. June 21, 2021
Bogie named regional administrator In nearly 18 years with the Met Council, she has overseen budget, financial, human resources, and information technology functions, and she has managed our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. June 9, 2021
Message from the Council Chair: A deeper look at our regional parks The way that many of us experience our state’s beauty is through our regional park system. This summer, we’re looking with our partner park agencies at how to promote the overall system, to expand access to even more Minnesotans. May 26, 2021
Council proposes 2022 wastewater rates The Met Council proposes to raise wholesale wastewater rates to cities and townships by 4% in January 2022, while the sewer availability charge will remain flat for the eighth consecutive year. May 26, 2021
Orange Line connecting bus recommendation moves forward Based on public input and nearly 600 survey responses, we developed a recommended plan, which will help set the vision for connecting bus service to the Orange Line. May 24, 2021
Met Council recognized for climate work The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy announced that the Met Council has earned two of nine “badges” for the climate work we’ve done so far. May 23, 2021
Tell us about your experience with safety on the transit system We invite you to fill out a survey, attend a community forum, or both. The feedback will help shape critical policy questions related to transit policing and safety we explore later this year. May 21, 2021
New regional dataset has equity focus Broad topic areas include demographics, migration, historic discrimination, housing, environment and climate, amenities, and many more. May 20, 2021
New emergency vouchers mean “home” to more people and families Under the American Rescue Plan of 2021, Metro HRA, will receive 218 new emergency vouchers to help connect people experiencing homelessness to housing and housing stability. May 19, 2021
Solar-for-Vouchers program expanded to Minneapolis and Saint Paul The program offers technical assistance to residential property owners who want to install solar panels on their buildings. Property owners agree to rent to Section 8 Housing Choice voucher holders. May 6, 2021
Place matters: Federal funds help low-income families move to areas of their choice HUD awarded Metro HRA and the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority $5.2 million and 74 new vouchers to promote increased housing choices and opportunities among low-income families. May 5, 2021
Council to develop internal Climate Action Plan The plan will unify efforts across all Met Council divisions to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate impacts, and help us build resilience to potential changes. April 22, 2021
Message from the Council Chair: A new commitment to anti-racism and addressing economic disparities I signed a commitment to participate in the Regional Anti-Racist and Economic Justice Trust as part of our ongoing partnership with the Center for Economic Inclusion. It commits us to important actions and measures that will move us and the other members of the trust more intentionally toward a more equitable region. This is not merely a commitment on paper. April 19, 2021
Video fun: Teach kids about wastewater treatment We’ve updated a popular presentation and created an animated video about the water cycle and what happens at a wastewater treatment plant. Both work well for both in-person and virtual learning. April 19, 2021
East Metro Gold Line bus rapid transit project advances The project is cleared to enter the engineering phase of a federal program that could pay for 45% of the project’s cost. April 14, 2021