Minnesota Sales Tax and Gas Tax Increases

•  Gateway Corridor summary
•  Saint Paul (& Minneapolis) streetcar scam
•  2016 Minnesota transit bills
•  light rail train crashes, deaths, & other delays 2016
•  light rail train crashes, deaths, & other delays 2015 & earlier
•  eminent domain & transit oriented development

  The Met Council Problem - Reform Needed! - June 2016   • un-elected people (least accountable regional authority in the US)    • has a billion dollar budget (largest in the US)   • can levy and increase taxes without voter approval   • uses plans hostile to roads and cars   • has the broadest authority (of any regional authority in the US)   • only regional authority to own public housing and direct housing policies Yet Minneapolis - St. Paul   • lags behind in population growth   • lags behind in job growth   • lags behind in transit ridership   • has concentrated centers of poverty (Met Council: A Comparative Assessment - PDF - Met Council Needs Reforming Now)
Small Businesses Oppose Southwest Light Rail - May 17, 2016 Southwest light rail “is a wasteful, problem-ridden project that would fail any cost benefit analysis,” said the local office of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the largest small business association. NFIB metro members oppose the light rail plan, its sales tax increase, and its ongoing subsidy of $30 million per year. (Star Tribune) Southwest Light Rail Noise Problem - May 17, 2016 A lawsuit against Metropolitan Council was filed today by the owners of 500 apartment and townhouses in three complexes within feet of the proposed Southwest light rail tracks. The owners found the recently-released environmental impact statement did not adequately address the noise problem of the light rail trains. (Star Tribune)     Gov. Mark Dayton's Transit & Transportation Plan for 2016
• Propose $11 billion for light rail, bridges, & bike paths

• Raise gas tax 16 cents, and more when gas prices rise
• Increase registration & license tab prices
   ($10 + 1.25% vehicle value)
• Increase metro sales tax for riderless transit projects & studies
  (currently .25%, increased .5% to an additional .75% for transit)
• Penalize the Minneapolis Park Board over SW light rail
   ($1.6 billion cut in 2016 and in 2017)
• Hire Adam Duininck to head Metro Council & give job 236% raise
   (Susan Haigh received $61,414. Duininck will make $145,000.)

Problems with Dayton's Plan

• Existing money is wasted on: Los Angeles vacations, free rides, the Met Council raise, and streetcar studies.
• Scare tactic of failing bridges.
• Bullying the Park Board by threatening to cut funding.
• Gas taxes and sales taxes (regressive taxes) hurt the poor far more than the wealthy.
•  Raises taxes when Minnesota has a tax surplus.


Money Wasted
There isn't enough money for transportation in the $71 billion budget, they say, but the Gateway Corridor committee had enough money to fly 30 to Los Angeles in June 2014 on a vacation tour. They are looking for more money this year. They want $3 million more to cover their next vacations.

Transit fares don't cover transit costs, but Metro Transit fares are often free.
  Free rides at the airport.
  Free rides on Nicollet Mall. 
  Free rides for Wild games.
  Free rides for Gopher football. 
  Free rides for Minnesota Lynx.
  Free rides for Minnesota Swarm. 
  Free rides for voting. 
  Free rides for the art fairs.
  Free rides for the winter carnival.
  Free rides for the Aquatennial. 
  Free rides to the children's museum.
  Free rides to the Holidazzle village.
  Free rides for the green line opening. 
  Free rides for the Surly beer hall opening.
  Free rides for disabled veterans. 
  Free rides for St. Patrick's Day, New Years Day...

If fares weren't always free, more fares would be collected. When it's not free, the standard rush hour fare is $2.25 and non-rush hour is $1.75. In 2013, Metro Transit collected $91.59 million from 81.4 million riders or an average of $1.13 per rider. Money is there for the taking.

Husband of Dayton's chief of staff, Adam Duininck will head Metro Council. Because Duininck is male works full time, he will get a 236% raise.  (Susan Haigh received $61,414. Duininck will make $145,000.)

And St. Paul's city council wants a streetcar for tourists.  Other cities are tearing out their streetcars or spending $400,000 annually on streetcar insurance like Tampa, but St. Paul's council wants a streetcar to be “competitive.”


Bridges
The scare tactic of failing bridges is the local version of 9-11 reminders.

In 2007, the 35W bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed, killing 13 people. In the years since, all Minnesota bridges have been inspected. The Lafayette Bridge (US52) over the Mississippi River is being replaced due to a similar design flaw and lack of redundancies.

The transportation bill press conference specifically mentioned the Kellogg-3rd Street bridge. It could be either repaired for less than $8 million or replaced for $40 million with transit upgrades added for streetcars, Gateway Corridor bus rapid transit, Rush line connection, bike paths, and a Saints ballpark scenic overlook.

The Kellogg-3rd Street bridge has 9,900 daily drivers on 4 lanes. It was over-built in 1982. The 2 lane Smith Avenue (High) bridge has 13,900 daily drivers. The Kellogg-3rd bridge needs repairs to be up to federal code (under $8 million), but Gateway Corridor bus transit wants it torn down and replaced for $40 million. Either the company working on the nearby Lafayette Bridge (Lunda Construction) or the company building the nearby Saints Ballpark (Ryan Companies) is probably in line to do the job.


Dayton Bullies Park Board

The Governor also wants to cut funding to the Minneapolis Park Board by $3.7 million (2016-17) in retaliation for slowing progress on the Southwest light rail project. Park Board president Liz Wielinski said the Board is obligated to protect park land and has raised its concerns about SW light rail for three years.

The FTA has listened to the park board and ordered a more extensive review of the environmental impact of the Southwest light rail project.

Update: Governor Dayton is “Shocked and Appalled” by $ 2 Billion Southwest light rail price tag.

Gas and sales taxes are regressive taxes that impact the poor more than the wealthy. All of these taxes and added fees are hidden tax increases that don't show up on tax forms but add up. The Governor's staff estimates the average cost would be $294 annually per driver. More bullying by the Governor.

Minnesota charges a 28.5 cents a gallon gas tax, in addition to the federal 18.4 cents a gallon tax. The plan is to make to the state rate 6.5% with a base amount of 16 cents a gallon on the wholesale price of gas.

The additional transit sales tax currently at .25%, would be increased .5% to an additional .75% sales tax. Plus Carver and Scott counties would have to pay the metro transit sales tax rate.

Minnesota has a $1.3 billion surplus on a budget of $71 billion (2014-2015) but Gov. Dayton wants to raise taxes.

Other Views

Duluth News Tribune

Minnesota Public Radio - toll bridge for the St. Croix River bridge at Bayport

Star Tribune 

Pioneer Press

Gateway Corridor summary

Gateway Corridor Fiasco
The Gateway Corridor (gold line) is a needless east-metro transit plan for a slow, expensive bus to replace the existing express buses that already run successfully on I-94 (MetroTransit express 294, limited stop 350, express 351, express 353, express 355, express 375). The existing express buses use the I-94 shoulder to move around traffic and take commuters to downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis without stopping. Gateway Corridor wants $485 million to build a dedicated bus lane that ends at Union Depot. (Metro Transit has a $9 million alternative.)

October 13, 2016 - Gateway Corridor will not go through the farm fields or through Lake Elmo which rejected the gold line BRT or by the development at the old State Farm campus. Instead the Gateway Corridor advisory committee approved a new, shorter route turning onto Bielenberg Drive and terminating at the Woodbury Theatre in Woodbury Village. The new shorter bus will have even fewer riders than before. [Woodbury Bull.] October 5, 2016 - Gateway Corridor - transit to the farm fields of eastern Woodbury - wants your ideas on why farm patches need transit. A meeting will be held from 5-7pm at the Envision Center, 484 Inwood Avenue North in Oakdale. March 8, 2016 - Gateway Corridor Commission chair Lisa Weik received a $5.4 million grant award from Lisa Weik of the Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB) Executive Committee. Gateway Corridor chair Lisa Weik thanked herself for the money. CTIB executive Lisa Weik said it's nothing and promised $9.6 million more. “That's why it's called the Gold Line!” [Woodbury Bull.] March 6, 2016 - The corruption and deception of Special Districts on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. January 13, 2016 - Oakdale residents want to vote down Gold Line (Gateway). [Lillie News] January 5, 2016 - Lake Elmo votes down Gold Line (Gateway). [Pioneer Press, Star Tribune, Finance-Commerce] December 18, 2015 - Former advocate turned opponent. Linda Stanton, the vice chairwoman of an advisory committee of the Gateway commission, says, "Stop the waste."  She can drive to St. Paul in 20 minutes or take the bus in 28 minutes. The Gold Line will take at least 34 minutes if not longer. At $485 million, the Gold Line would be more expensive per passenger mile than even the light rail trains. It will run past the cornfields of Lake Elmo and eastern Woodbury, and it will run through residential Fourth Street in Oakdale. [Pioneer Press] October 15, 2015 - “At Oak Meadows Senior Living in Oakdale, a large group of citizens from Fourth Street in Oakdale rose up and rebelled against plans by Gateway Corridor proponents to destroy their beautiful residential street and neighborhood by jamming down their throats a dedicated-bus-lane project...” [more] October 7, 2015 - A 3:30pm meeting of the St. Paul City Council at 15 W Kellogg Blvd, 3rd floor will vote to rezone properties along Gateway Corridor.    •  meeting information: Gold Line station plans & zoning study    •  list of St. Paul properties to be rezoned (pdf, 6 pages)         includes properties north & south of I-94 (homes on Pacific, McLean...)    •  Sun Ray shopping center complaint & scheme (pdf)    •  Gateway Corridor - Gold Line station plans & HRA marketing study    •  East Side Review - October 4, 2015 The rezoning vote was pushed by appointed (unelected) St. Paul city councilor Bill Finney. On November 3rd, a new ward 7 city councilor will be elected. Inspections are next, then code violations, then condemnations (eminent domain). Thanks to Mr. Finney and the St. Paul City Council. September 14, 2015 - The Federal Transit Administration announced that the Metropolitan Council will receive $1 million to make a Gateway Corridor - Transit Oriented Development plan. Gateway Corridor has been planning to send as many as 20 people to Washington DC on October 7th. (They took 30 on a trip to Los Angeles in 2014.) With money on the way, maybe they won't spend thousands of dollars flying 20 transit people to DC. They've moved some letters to change their name to Getaway Corridor. September 8, 2015 - “Gateway Corridor vs Metro Transit: How State's $9 million Route Upgrade Could Replace the Gateway Corridor” - Washington County Watchdog September 3, 2015 - Lake Elmo wary of Gateway Corridor bus line - Star Tribune July 24, 2015 - Gold Line SAP meeting Friday, July 24 at 8:30am at St. Paul City Hall. March 2015 - a Woodbury survey found 52% of residents said they were not too likely or not at all likely to use bus rapid transit. And the price of Gateway Corridor BRT went up $35 million. March 9, 2015 - Two sets of bills wanted another $3 million for Gateway Corridor: House File 1616 (status) and Senate File 1464 (status) Gateway Corridor wants $3 million from the general fund House File 1617 (status) and Senate File 1463 (status) Gateway Corridor wants $3 million from the sale of bonds January 2015 - Governor Dayton announced a plan to increase the gas tax for roads, bridges, and the 3rd-Kellogg transit bridge. The plan also increases sales taxes, vehicle licenses, and car tabs for light rail and BRT. December 2014 - Gateway wants more gold. Tans from the Gateway Corridor Commission's June 2014 tour of Los Angeles have faded, so they want more study money from the Minnesota Legislature in 2015. Gateway wants $3 million more. They also say they will ask for 50% of construction costs from the Federal Transit Administration in 2015. (It's always “next year,” isn't it?) But language in the FY2014 federal spending bill limits future federal spending on new starts to 40% (H.R. 83, page 1461, summary) and eliminates funding for local improvements. The $3 million does not include the $40 million they want to tear down the Third Street (Kellogg) bridge instead of repairing the bridge for less than $8 million (details below). December 2014 - Highway-Rail Grade Crossings and Rail Safety report. Of 683 rail crossings of oil trains in Minnesota, 102 crossings are a high priority for safety improvements. October 2014 - Another $100,000 study money was thrown at Gateway Corridor from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota to explain how the Gateway bus might help the health of the east metro. September 25, 2014 - “Infrastructure Opportunists and the Kellogg Bridge” by Matt Steele at streets.mn offers a better plan for the Third Street (Kellogg) bridge. The annual average daily traffic (AADT) numbers are:    •    9,900 for Third Street (Kellogg) 4 lane bridge    •  13,900 for Smith Avenue 2 lane bridge (High Bridge)    •  21,200 for Seventh Street bridge over Swede Hollow    •  31,500 for the Snelling & University avenue intersection    •  95,000 for Interstate 94 at White Bear Avenue September 24, 2014 - St. Paul is seeking Federal and state money for the rarely used Third Street (Kellogg) bridge connecting St. Paul's Lowertown and Dayton's Bluff. They say the bridge built in 1982 is not up to Federal code. The code violation was not discovered during the intensive bridge inspections following the I-35W bridge collapse. Bridge repairs would cost up to $8 million. A $40 million replacement bridge could have:    •  pedestrian walkways    •  bike lanes    •  an ice-melting system    •  Saints ballpark scenic overlook    •  bus rapid transit lanes for Gateway Corridor    •  connections for a potential Rush line train (through the former Bruce Vento Sanctuary and Swede Hollow Park). Construction businesses parked in Lowertown, having just worked on the green line light rail, Union Depot, the Saints ballpark, and the Lafayette Bridge are looking for the next big government contract in the area. August 31, 2014 (Sunday) - The ten week old Green Line light rail train hit and killed a woman at the intersection of University Avenue and Emerald Street SE in the Prospect Park neighborhood at 10:15am. The train operator applied some form of brakes but was not able to stop the train in time. August 28, 2014 (Friday) - Minneapolis City Council voted on Southwest Corridor at 9:30am in room 317 of Minneapolis City Hall, 350 S 5th St, Minneapolis, MN 55415, 612-673-3000. The vote was 10-3 for spending $1.65 billion on a commuter light rail train (before Target layoffs). July 2014 - Fresh from their vacation in Los Angeles, the Gateway Corridor Commission decided to pick bus rapid transit (BRT). The BRT route they picked runs on the disjointed, residential Hudson Road in St. Paul. The BRT route messes with the one-way traffic in front of the 3M headquarters in Maplewood and takes over 4th Street North in Oakdale and Hudson Blvd in Lake Elmo. After avoiding most of Woodbury, the route jogs inexplicably south to tag the northeast corner of Woodbury and ends before Manning Av (map). June 2014 - The Federal Transit Administration and the Federal Highway Administration requested that Gateway Corridor proposal be resubmitted with the option of a managed lane on I-94. Meanwhile thirty members of the Gateway Corridor Commission left town and took a fact-finding vacation in Los Angeles (Los Angeles?!? How does LA have anything to do with Woodbury? Transit ridership has declined in Los Angeles over the past 3 decades. Visiting the BRT red line in Apple Valley would have been more appropriate.). [video]

Despite years of taxpayer-funded studies and meetings, the Gateway Corridor Commission can't understand that the existing bus transit is the safest, most flexible, most efficient, and most economical transit for the East Metro.


Are they really wanting to put it on Hudson Road?

► Do they realize Hudson Road is residential in Saint Paul?

► Do they realize Hudson Road is a disconnected street? It stops and starts.

► Has the Gateway Corridor contacted each of the residents and received their willingness to move?



What is the Gateway Corridor -- bus or train?

The Gateway Corridor Commission couldn't decide what type of vehicle they wanted (bus, train, or gondola) or where they should put it, until 30 members took a taxpayer funded vacation to Los Angeles in June 2014.

►   Metro Council and Minnesota Department of Transportation have said that bus rapid transit in managed lanes should be considered for the Gateway Corridor, which might run eastward from Union Depot in St. Paul toward Wisconsin along Interstate 94. Buses would travel on existing pavement and leave the interstate to stop at transit stations. - Pioneer Press 

►   East metro citizens do not want light rail, according to signed petitions, open house meetings, and surveys taken by state representatives. "In a recent survey of her constituents, Rep. Andrea Kieffer, a Republican from Woodbury, [said] most don’t want light rail in the area. Rep. Kathy Lohmer said her survey had similar findings.” - Woodbury Patch

"Residents and business owners voiced their concerns about plans for transit along the Gateway Corridor... All seven audience members who spoke opposed the corridor plan... Tom Giannetti, who owns St. Paul Harley-Davidson, which sits along I-94 near Century Avenue, said the proposed route could cut into his property and poses 'the single biggest threat to my business.'” - Pioneer Press
Light rail would wipe out the 75 space parking lot. - Lilli News 

►   The Gateway Corridor settled on bus rapid transit in fall of 2012. The Minnesota Legislature voted in 2013 to allow Woodbury to create bus rapid transit. - Star Tribune

►  Minneapolis-Saint Paul has the fastest U.S. metropolitan highways according to Texas A&M and Streets.MN. Here is a picture of weekday morning traffic on I-94 on the east side of Saint Paul. The east metro lacks the ridership, congestion, urban density, or population increase to justify bus rapid transit, let alone light capacity rail.

►   Carrying capacity differs between buses, light rail trains (light capacity), and heavy rail trains (heavy capacity). “The willingness of many rail advocates to support high-cost, low-capacity rail lines calls into question the entire rail agenda. Supporters of low-capacity lines are not truly interested in transportation.” - Cato Institute & UTA TRAX response (operating at only 21.8% of capacity)


Is light rail safe? Is light rail good for business?

►  Here is a list of light rail crashes and the causes (with news links)

►  Here is a list of businesses impacted by the Central Corridor (with news links)

►  The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a list of needed rail safety improvements in January 2014, including:
•  Promote Operational ^{& Developmental} Safety in Rail Mass Transit - promote organizational safety culture, training safety, maintenance safety, address and reduce fatigue and human error, adopt close-call reporting systems, and promote operational safety through Federal Transit Administration (FTA) oversight, which should start at development. [html, pdf]
•  Implement Positive Train Control Systems - monitor the location and movement of trains, then slow or stop a train that is not being operated in accordance with signal systems or operating rules. This safety redundancy prevents train-to-train collisions and overspeed derailments, as well as the associated injuries and fatalities to passengers, railway workers, and others. PTC systems are not a dream; they are in use on the Northeast Corridor in the Northeast United States and on the Michigan Line between Chicago, Illinois and Detroit, Michigan. [html, pdf]

►   Minnesota has one rail safety inspector for the entire state. - Star Tribune, Minnesota law


Does the Gateway Corridor contribute to urban sprawl and the Wisconsin Reciprocity Tax Deficit?

►  Younger families are moving to the Minneapolis urban core instead of Woodbury. - Star Tribune (chart)

►  Wisconsin owes millions of tax dollars to Minnesota for its commuter residents. Gateway Corridor wants to increase Wisconsin's debt by providing transit for Wisconsin residents who work in Minnesota. Governor Walker agrees $60 million is owed to Minnesota but will only pay the bill if Wisconsin's employment situation improves. - WXOW-19 LaCrosse, Star Tribune (update) 

► The Gateway Corridor will not cross the St. Croix River into Wisconsin. - Finance & Commerce

► The Twin Cities Metropolitan Area - Transit System Map 2014 shows some of the bus and train coverage of the Minneapolis - Saint Paul area.

Twin Cities 2014 Transit System Map

Has any money already been spent? Can't more money be flushed away?

► CH2M Hill (Englewood, CO)  =  $1.5 million (2011)
► Kimley Horn (Raleigh, NC)     <  $3 million (2013)
► Jeff Dehler Public Relations (Crystal, MN) = $100,000 (2013)
► Jeff Dehler Public Relations (Crystal, MN) = $110,000 (2014)
► Bus rapid transit on Hudson Road would cost over $400 million. Bus rapid transit on a managed lane on I-94 would cost $520 million. Light rail transit on Hudson Road would cost over $1 billion.
► Gateway Corridor received more money from the 2014 legislature and took 30 people on a fact-finding vacation tour of Los Angeles in June 2014.


Should 3M name all the stations on the Gateway Corridor (bus, train, plane)?

►  Scotch® Magic Tape transit station
►  Nexcare™ Steri-Strip™ Skin Closures for injured pedestrians
►  Non-post consumer Post-It® temporary transit station
►  3M™ Littmann® Stethoscopes station
►  Imation™ Floppy Disk terminal (as modern as train technology)
- Star Tribune

Probably not. 3M closed its Saint Paul campus a few years ago. Is 3M planning to close its Maplewood headquarters too? Is Gateway Corridor transit just a tool to help sell the 3M property in Maplewood? 3M held its first annual meeting outside of Minnesota this year. The meeting was in Austin, Texas on May 13, 2014.


►   Gateway Corridor Steering Committee?!? You can't steer light rail. Joke? - Lillie News


The East Metro of Minneapolis-Saint Paul is a good place to live. Saint Paul's east side is a great place to live. It is not a gated community. It's diverse. It has no high profile destinations, no flashy museums or malls or casinos. It has the native Mounds Park, which is great and historic. It has the picturesque Lake Phalen. It has great bus and express bus service. It does not need or want a $1.2 billion light rail line to nowhere.


Make a difference. Make your voice heard. Tell your story.
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton
mark.dayton@state.mn.us   651-296-3391
Office of the Governor, 130 State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155

Minnesota Representative Tim Kelly, Transportation Policy and Finance Committee Chair
rep.tim.kelly@house.mn   651-296-8635
559 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St Paul, MN 55155

Minnesota Representative  Linda Runbeck, Subcommittee on Metropolitan Council Accountability and Transparency  Chair
rep.linda.runbeck@house.mn  651-296-2907
417 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St Paul, MN 55155


Minnesota Representative Tony Albright (55B)
rep.tony.albright@house.mn   651-296-5185
387 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St Paul, MN 55155

Minnesota Representative Tim Mahoney (67A)
rep.tim.mahoney@house.mn   651-296-4277
591 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155

Minnesota Representative Sheldon Johnson (67B)
rep.sheldon.johnson@house.mn   651-296-4201
549 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155

Minnesota Senator Richard Cohen, Senate Finance Committee Chair
web mail   651-296-5931
121 Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155

Minnesota Senator D. Scott Dibble, Transportation and Public Safety Committee chair
sen.scott.dibble@senate.mn   651-296-4191
111 Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155-1606

Minnesota Senator Foung Hawj (District 67)
web mail   651-296-5285
Capitol, Room G-24, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155-1606

Find your Minnesota Representative and Minnesota Senator by zip codes

Metropolitan Council Chair Adam Duininck
adam.duininck@metc.state.mn.us   651-602-1390
  ► Chair, Corridors of Opportunity (aka Partnership of Regional Opportunity) 

Metropolitan Council District 13 (St. Paul) Richard Kramer
richard.kramer@metc.state.mn.us   651-774-4971

Metropolitan Council District 14 (St. Paul) Jon Commers
jon.commers@metc.state.mn.us   651-645-4644

Metro Transit
sip@metrotransit.org   651-602-1500, 612-373-3333
560 Sixth Av N, Minneapolis, MN 55411

Ramsey County District 6 Commissioner Jim McDonough
jim.mcdonough@co.ramsey.mn.us   651-266-8350
Ramsey County Board Office, Room 220 Court House, 15 W Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55102
  ► Chair, Ramsey County Board
  ► Chair, East Metro Transit Alliance
  ► Member, Minnesota Transportation Alliance (aka Move MN)
  ► Member, Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB)
  ► Member, Corridors of Opportunity (aka Partnership of Regional Opportunity)
  ► Member, Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority (RCRRA)

Ramsey County District 5 Commissioner Rafael Ortega
rafael.e.ortega@co.ramsey.mn.us   651-266-8361
  ► Chair, Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority (RCRRA)
  ► Vice-chair, Gateway Corridor Commission
  ► Member, Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB)

Washington County Commissioner Lisa Weik
lisa.weik@co.washington.mn.us   651-430-6215
  ► Chair, Gateway Corridor Commission
  ► Member, Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB)
  ► Member, Corridors of Opportunity (aka Partnership of Regional Opportunity)

Gateway Corridor Commission
gatewaycorridor@co.washington.mn.us   651-430-4300
Washington County Regional Railroad, 11660 Myeron Road N, Stillwater, MN 55082

Peter McLaughlin, Hennepin County 4th District Commissioner
commissioner.mclaughlin@hennepin.us   612-348-7884
A-2400 Government Center, 300 South 6th St., Minneapolis, MN 55487
  ► Chair, Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB)
  ► Chair, Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA)
  ►  Member, Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB)
  ►  Member, Corridors of Opportunity (aka Partnership of Regional Opportunity)
  ►  Member, Central Corridor Management Committee (CCMC)
  ►  Member, Southwest LRT Community Works Steering Committee (SWLRTCWSC)
  ►  Member, Metro Transit’s Policy Advisory Committee (PAC)
  ►  Member, MnDOT Transportation Finance Advisory Committee (TFAC)
Peter McLaughlin's “principal aide” Brian Shekleton is also the vice president of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (conflict of interest)
brian.shekleton@hennepin.us   bshekleton@minnehahacreek.org   612-348-5204

Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) Marisol Simon
marisol.simon@fta.dot.gov   312-353-2789
200 W Adams St, Suite 2410, Chicago, IL 60606

Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) Elizabeth Zelasko Patel
elizabeth.patel@dot.gov  202-366-0244
1200 New Jersey Av SE, E45-340, Washington, DC 20590
FTA Office of Planning and Environment - projects permitting contact

United States Representative Betty McCollum
web mail   651-224-9191, 202-225-6631
165 Western Avenue North, Suite 17, St. Paul, MN 55102

United States Representative Keith Ellison
web mail   612-522-1212
2100 Plymouth Av N, Minneapolis, MN 55411

United States Senator Amy Klobuchar
web mail (amy.klobuchar@senate.gov)  612-727-5220, 202-224-3244
1200 Washington Av S. Suite 250, Minneapolis, MN 55415

United States Senator Al Franken
web mail (al.franken@senate.gov)  651-221-1016,  202-224-5641
60 E. Plato Blvd. Suite 220, St. Paul, MN 55107

United States President Barack Obama 
web mail   202-456-1111
The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20500
We The People - the White House petition

Rail~Volution 2014 at the Hyatt Downtown Minneapolis - September 21-24, 2014
danb@railvolution.org  612-486-5611

---

East Side Transit Spotlight

The East Side Transit Spotlight was a Gateway Corridor opposition meeting that took place on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 from 6-8 pm at the Dayton's Bluff Recreation Center, 790 Conway Street in St. Paul. The meeting included a short movie, “Is the Gateway Corridor Hudson Road Alignment a Pure Illusion?”

The movie shows several congestion-free views of Interstate-94 in the east metro, with highway-level and aerial views, but the narration does not call attention to the lack of congestion. The narration lists many businesses east of Ruth Street that would be impacted by the proposed plan but fails to list the businesses west of Ruth that would be impacted. The video jumps between several disconnected parts of Hudson Road without addressing the problems of making connections. It turns the camera away from showing all the houses that would be impacted by rapid transit on their doorsteps. It fails to mention the bus-or-train indecision, the huge costs, replacing the existing-effective express buses, increasing urban sprawl, and Minnesota funding transit for Wisconsin. The movie was created by Steve Ellenwood & Bob Tatreau.

Minneapolis & Saint Paul Mayoral Candidates 2013

Tuesday, November 5th, 2013 is election day. Saint Paul has four mayoral candidates. Minneapolis has 35 mayoral candidates.

✓

Candidates for Saint Paul Mayor

Two Saint Paul mayoral candidates -- Tim Holden and Kurt Dornfeld -- are opposed to light rail.

Tim Holden's website explains why he's running: "My business is on University Avenue — right where they are building the Central Corridor. It’s pretty hard to ignore city politics when it threatens your livelihood, so I got involved.You may not know this, but many business people along University Avenue opposed building the central corridor light rail line in front of their businesses. Not because we hate transit but because lost parking equals lost revenue, which equals business closure (70+ to date!).  The University Avenue bus line is one of the most successful transit lines in the Twin Cities, and actually makes money unlike most bus lines. The Central Corridor project has been a direct threat to all businesses. Years of construction has driven customers away, and the city has taken away over 1000 parking spaces with no plan to replace them..." [more]

Kurt Dornfeld says Saint Paul should spend money repairing streets not on useless light rail. [more]


Saint Paul Mayoral Results (1st choices):
Chris Coleman received 23,875 votes. Tim Holden received 4,978 votes. Chris Coleman told MPR, "Gateway Corridor [will go] to Stillwater and beyond." He sounds like Buzz Lightyear. And he wants investors to build more condos in downtown Saint Paul.

Candidates for Minneapolis Mayor

John Hartwig is against light rail and streetcars. [more]

Dan Cohen says transit improvements should focus on supporting the MTC bus system with smaller 15 passenger buses. The best (& safest) route for the Southwest Corridor is the Midtown Greenway. And streetcars are “an expensive toy and totally unnecessary to fill any transportation needs.” [more & more]

Cam Winston says the Southwest Corridor should be in the Midtown Greenway. And streetcars are a "wasteful boondoggle." [more & more & more]

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Gateway Corridor Film 

"Is the Gateway Corridor-Hudson Road Alignment a Pure Illusion?"
by Steven Ellenwood
Tuesday, November 29, 2013 at 6pm
R. H. Stafford Library, 8595 Central Park Place, Woodbury, MN 55125 
free

[more information]

Bus Rapid Transit

The Gateway Corridor Commission still can't decide if they want bus rapid transit (BRT) or light rail transit (LRT) on Hudson Road in St. Paul. They have a lunchtime talk for Monday, June 24, 2013 (11am-1pm) at the Oak Marsh Golf Course, 526 Inwood Av N, Oakdale. There is no cost to attend and a light lunch will be provided. Registration is required (St. Paul Chamber or Woodbury Chamber). Joseph Calabrese, the Cleveland RTA $243,386/year manager, will explain Cleveland's HealthLine bus, formerly known as the Silver Line, formerly known as the Euclid Corridor Transportation Project.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)

Bus Rapid Transit is a bus. Sometimes it has stations with platforms, sometimes dedicated lanes, sometimes it uses honor-based fareboxes, and sometimes it's really just a bus route with an expensive name. As a bus, it has braking and steering advantages over light rail trains and its capital infrastructure costs are less than light rail. Buses have transparency and accountability advantages over light rail. On a bus, you can see the driver and what the driver is doing. As the bus goes by you can see how many people are on the bus. On light rail the windows are obscured with film preventing the operator from being seen and preventing the lack of riders from being seen from outside.

HealthLine - Cleveland's BRT Example

HealthLine is a $197 million, 6.8 mile($29 million per mile) RTA Euclid Avenue bus rapid transit system in Cleveland, Ohio. Construction began in 2006, was completed in 2008, and inconvenienced Euclid Avenue consumers and businesses, causing many businesses to close.

HealthLine bus passenger lists the problems:
   ♦  most bus riders must stand (BRT has half the seats of a traditional bus)
   ♦  half of the bus seats are on raised platforms (difficult for seniors & disabled)
   ♦  narrow aisles & 18" seats
   ♦  station platforms not marked as eastbound or westbound
   ♦  riders don't know where to stand on the platform or which doors to go in
   ♦  two foot leaping gap between bus & station platform
   ♦  fareboxes that don't work
   ♦  bus shelters with 2 or 3 cold metal seats

HealthLine buses are slower than expected, 25 mph in pedestrian zones. The rules were changed to allow buses a 35 mph limit. Either way it's not rapid transit (10.6mph average speed), has problems with traffic signals and crashes. Euclid Avenue had 411 reported collisions from October 2008 to July 2011, plus:
► 2013 March 12 - HealthLine bus hit a car at Euclid & East 4th at 10:30am sending 8 people to hospitals, including both drivers.
► 2011 November 1 - HealthLine bus hit a car at Euclid & East 89th at 2pm. Both vehicles were westbound. The car wanted to make a right turn.
► 2011 October 24 - HealthLine bus hit a car at Euclid & East 9th at 12:30pm.
 
HealthLine uses New Flyer articulated buses made in Winnipeg, Canada; Crookston, MN; and St. Cloud, MN. (Light rail uses Siemens and Bombardier trains from Germany.)

Here's another Cleveland opinion of HealthLine.

Gateway Corridor Bus Rapid Transit

The problem with the Gateway Corridor is that it can't beat I-94.

The best place for a bus rapid transit is where it can be rapid -- on the highway. Buses can't travel fast on residential streets, like the St. Paul portion of Hudson Road. Many express buses already run successfully on I-94 (MetroTransit express 294, limited stop 350, express 351, express 353, express 355, express 375), using the shoulder to move around traffic instead of a dedicated lane. And the Gateway Corridor ridership can't justify the opportunity cost of dedicating an I-94 lane each way for either a bus or a train.



Bus rapid transit on Hudson Road in St. Paul would be painfully slow for Woodbury travelers and would not be beneficial to Hudson Road residents and businesses. Snow plows would hack at the dividing curbs. But buses have the breaking and steering advantage over trains (improved safety) and reduced infrastructure (lower capital costs and maintenance).

The Gateway Corridor Solution

If the list of eastside buses above aren't enough, add another bus to I-94, with seating like existing MetroTransit buses and without removing a lane from traffic.

American Institute of Certified Planners’ (AICP) examination answers

Here are sample questions and answers for the American Institute of Certified Planners’ (AICP) examination.

The Gateway Corridor has entrusted their plans to west bank University students. Are they engineers? No, they study public affairs -- technically they study how to get a good score on the AICP exam. One of the main rules for both the Gateway Corridor and the AICP exam is that guessing is expected -- there is no penalty for wrong answers. Ethics and professional conduct only count for 5%.

  •  $495 first-timers (63% pass), $425 try-try-again
  •  70 multiple-choice questions
  •  150 scored; 20 are pretest items (pool of 600 questions)
  •  3.5 hours
  •  15 minute orientation before you begin
  •  Plan to arrive early
  •  No penalty for wrong answers
  •  Guess, don’t leave anything untouched

The test will say "wards." Most of the country should read wards as county or district. The term wards is used because the AICP test was written by the American Planning Association (APA) of Chicago, Illinois. Chicago has wards. (Chicago had Montgomery Wards.) Why Chicago? Pay attention planners, this will be on the AICP test. Chicago was leveled in the fire of 1871, causing the city to rebuild with brick and stone to become a very modern city when it hosted the Columbian Exposition in 1893. After the rebuilding and the successful world's fair, planner Daniel Burnham established a plan for Chicago in 1909 (after everything was built and done).

Geography Question
What do many consider Frederick Law Olmsted's greatest example of a suburb?
        A. Petaluma, California
        B. Belle Isle, Michigan
        C. Riverside, Illinois
        D. Ramapo, New Jersey
The answer is C. The question is asked because Riverside is part of Chicago and Frederick Law Olmsted was the first president of the American City Planning Institute, forerunner of the AICP and APA. There is no practical purpose for this information. It is just APA advertising.

Demographics Question
According to 2010 Census Data, where is the mean center of population for the United States?
        A. St. Louis County, Missouri (St. Louis, MO)
        B. Phelps County, Missouri (Edgar Springs, MO)
        C. Texas County, Missouri (Plato, MO)
        D. Cook County, Illinois (Chicago, IL)
The correct answer is C for 2010. The answer for 2000 was B. The purpose of this question is the quantification of people without divisiveness nor specificity to any location.

Safety Question
Rubber mats cover the unused light rail tracks at University of Minnesota crossings to prevent light rail cement-embedded track dangers. Which of the following objects have become stuck in light rail tracks, causing deaths?

        A. Stroller
        B. Wheelchair
        C. Motorcycle
        D. A and B
The correct answer is D. This question compares wheel sizes to embedded tracks, addressing safety issues of objects trapped in the tracks. Notice the noun-verb agreement requires a plural answer. This is a dead giveaway. [light rail hazards]

Geographic Safety Question
Debris has caused light rail trains to derail. Match the debris with the location of the derailment.
        A. Leaf oils and rust in Tacoma & gravel in Cleveland, Ohio
        B. Gravel in Tacoma & leaf oils and rust in Cleveland, Australia
        C. Marbles in Portland & motor oil in Detroit
        D. Sand in Chicago & motor oil in Detroit
The correct answer is B. Gravel in the tracks derailed a light rail train in Tacoma in 2012. Leaf oil and rust was blamed for the derailment of a light rail train into a station bathroom in 2013.

Legal Question
Which federal agency governs the standards for cement-embedded light rail tracks?
        A. AREMA
        B. FRA
        C. both AREMA and FRA
        D. there are no Federal standards
The correct answer is D. Chicago has neither light rail nor embedded tracks. APA doesn't care. APA gets confused by multiple federal agencies.

Diversity Question

Which of the following pieces of federal legislation focused on slum clearance?
        A. 1906 Antiquities Act
        B. 1934 Federal Housing Act
        C. 1949 Housing Act
        D. 1968 New Communities Act
The correct answer is C. The question provides the legality for the acquisition of low income housing for higher income development.

Financing Question
Who is credited with the following quote "a budget may be characterized as a series of goals with price tags attached"?
        A. Jane Jacobs
        B. Aaron Wildavsky
        C. Matthew Barnaby
        D. Robert Moses
The correct answer is B. The question is asked as a nod to every planner's dream of unlimited funds, originally known as the Las Vegas planning experience, now called the Dubai experience.

Transportation Question
The current federal transit planning process, with its policies and institutional emphasis on cost effectiveness, biases the alternatives analysis toward routes with existing right-of-way and ease of obtaining right-of-way, especially for rail service, without regard to potential real estate developments on inexpensive land. This results in transit lines that are direct and cost-efficient from an engineering standpoint, but do not have the dangers associated with embedded tracks and multimodal roads encouraged by the planning profession.
Which best identifies the transportation goals of transportation planners?
        A. Eliminate urban blight, low-income housing, and diversity
        B. Economic growth of real estate developers
        C. Federal money for infrastructure increases chances of Olympics or Super Bowl, just not for Minneapolis or Detroit
        D. Planner pride in change for change's sake
"There are no right or wrong answers," the American Planners Association will say before they start grading. They will only mark B or C correctly, most of the time. There is no oversight.

Labor Question
For bus and rail operations, labor costs are directly linked and become a financial burden on the system itself. Which of the following scenarios have labor implications:
  I.    Bus drivers make too damned much money for steering, braking, and collecting fares.
  II.   The honor system of light rail fare collection requires no cashiers or ticket takers. Businesses should consider using this exchange model.
  III.  Light rail train operator training just sounds redundant, especially for a job without steering, braking, collecting fares, or making announcements.
  IV.  Houston light rail planners promised quiet light rail to residents and when residents complained, MetroRail track workers began manually greasing the rails several times per week. MetroRail has since introduced automated rail lubrication for noise abatement and reduced derailment.
  V.   Transit security officers are replaced with cameras.
  VI.  The Atlanta Olympics insulted local bus drivers by offering $6/hour. Hiring from outside Atlanta, caused a massive transportation debacle. Bus drivers got lost, crashed buses, and quit during their shifts.
  VII. Changes to cement-embedded light rail tracks must be made with a jackhammer.
        A. All of the above.
        B. None of the above.
        C. I and II. Couldn't read any more.
        D. II, III, and IV
The correct answer is A. The question addresses the labor component of transportation, to reduce a positive impact for low income neighborhoods. When you run into long questions like this one during the test, use the Mark option on the exam to mark it and move on to shorter questions that involve less reading.

Planning Question
Which is the most common mistake made by planners?
        A. not talking with community residents and businesses
        B. not providing insider investment information to politicians
        C. not developing corridors where property values are low for quick turnaround
        D. not using the Critical Path Method, the Ouija board of decision making
The correct answer is A, but the American Planning Association will make the mistake of marking C instead because that's where the money is. "That's why, without consulting anyone, I spent the entire town budget on the thing that is under this tarp." - Mayor Shelbourne, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

Eminent Domain Question
Which best describes the result of Kelo v. City of New London (2005)?
        A. Planners can take private property if the property is part of a spiffy real estate development project.
        B. Planners banked on companies to increase the tax revenues and attract a wealthier population in place of the lower middle class home owners. The property was taken and sits abandoned eight years later.
        C. Eminent domain was strengthened  by the Supreme Court, the President, and several states.
        D. The NLDC did not change its name to RCDA. Connecticut Governor John Gowland (federal inmate 15623-014) and development commissioner Peter Ellef did not go to prison for corruption.

The correct answer is B. Watch PBS Constitution USA episode 2 which shows the property damage and personal hardship resulting from the New London CT fiasco. Forty-four states (and a Presidential order) have since enacted legislation restricting eminent domain. Opposition to the ruling was widespread but never filtered down to the APA. The APA material says, "government’s pursuit of a public purpose may benefit or depend upon individual private enterprise" and then it mumbles to itself "until they screw up and leave us holding the bag." Pfizer closed its New London facility in late 2010 with a loss of over 1000 jobs. In 2012, its New London tax breaks were set to expire which would have increased Pfizer's property tax bill by almost 400 %. The developer, Corcoran Jennison Companies, couldn't get a loan despite being given 91-acres of waterfront land for $1 per year.

Condemn-Nation Question
Between the moment a project redraws maps and city inspectors are sent to find property defects to determine condemnation, homeowners and businesses can learn if their property will be targeted for condemnation. How?
        A. Freedom of Information Act
        B. by hiring a lawyer
        C. by inviting the city inspectors over for coffee and/or a brewski
        D. transparent government

The Washington Post received the list of properties, that Maryland would be either condemning (or otherwise acquiring) for the Purple Line, through a FOIA request. The correct answer is A, although B isn't a bad idea either. Columbia University Professor Tom Merrill provides a concept for legally requiring greater than fair market value. But what's the FMV of a forest? An ancient woodland in Kent, England was condemned for its rocks in September 2013.

Step Down Method Question
The latest census reported the population of Centerville to be 24,000. Riverside is the neighborhood you are studying. Riverside is located within Centerville, and has historically been one of the larger, more vibrant neighborhoods. At the time of the last census, 8% of the population lived in the Riverside neighborhood. Five years have passed, and City has experienced growth in all of its neighborhoods. The current population of Centerville is estimated to be 32,000. Use the step down method to calculate the population.
        A. 1,920
        B. 2,016
        C. 2,560
        D. 19,200
Use the Tongue To Corner of Lips Method also. The question implies that the answer should be calculated for the current population. It doesn't say that. Take 32,000 x .08 = 2,560. The answer is C.

Saturation of Plans - Spatial Areas of Practice Question
Smart growth includes reduced fiscal burden on governments and their taxpayers caused by the costs for financing and maintaining ever-increasing infrastructure deficits or shortfalls. Which of the following is not an example of smart growth?
        A. A balanced transportation system that makes it possible for residents to walk or ride a bicycle to a store, school or work.
        B.  In 2010, Federal Transit Administration head Peter Rogoff chastised transit agencies for planning new rail lines when they couldn't maintain current ones.
        C. Smart growth encourages urban sprawl by extending metropolitan transit into rural communities instead of allowing inner city housing construction to increase urban density.
        D. Every transit agency that builds new rail lines eventually hits a financial wall that forces service cuts. San Jose hit the financial wall in 2001, cutting service by 25 percent and losing more than a quarter of its riders. America's whitest city, Portland, hit the financial wall in 2012, cutting service by 12 percent and predicting cuts of as much as 70 percent will be needed to meet its financial obligations.

This question is in the Saturation of Plans section but it seems to be another transportation question. The APA should know that just about the entire country needs plans to address critical water shortages, except for Chicago which slurps from several straws in Lake Michigan. This question should be about water: fixing leaking water mains, prioritizing needs, reducing runoff... but no, water doesn't make the AICP Current Topics list. LOL. The correct answer is C.

 Other resources: APA Bulletin
                             AICP Exam tutorial
                             AICP Exam for May (current year)
                             AICP Exam Prep for 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, & 2010
                             American Planning Association policy guides
                             State Chapters with good materials: Florida, Georgia,  North Carolina, & Utah
                             Light rail crashes
                             Flash Cards of planning law
            

Minnesota Bills & Gateway Corridor

The Met Council Problem - Reform Needed! - June 2016   • un-elected people (least accountable regional authority in the US)    • has a billion dollar budget (largest in the US)   • can levy and increase taxes without voter approval   • uses plans hostile to roads and cars   • has the broadest authority (of any regional authority in the US)   • only regional authority to own public housing and direct housing policies Yet Minneapolis - St. Paul   • lags behind in population growth   • lags behind in job growth   • lags behind in transit ridership   • has concentrated centers of poverty (Met Council: A Comparative Assessment - PDF - Met Council Needs Reforming Now)

2016 Minnesota Transit Bills

Contact your Minnesota legislators to suggest to them how they should vote.

_____Vote Yes_____✓

House File 3744 (status) Fixed guideway transit project development governed, streetcar and bus rapid transit project requirements established, municipal consent amended, and transportation sales tax revenue permitted allocation amended (establishes disapproval process) 

House File 2930 (status) and Senate File 3025 (status) Light rail transit operating costs governed

House File 3659 (status) Passenger rail requirements on project development process, state fund use, eminent domain, and land use and acquisition

House File 2508 (status) and Senate File 3384 (status) Metro Transit fare revenue schedule (more for fixed transit - LRT & BRT, than for flexible buses)


_____Vote No_____X

House File 3428 (status) and Senate File 3176 (status) Minneapolis to Duluth high-speed passenger rail funding (winter, too?)
House File 3325 (status) and Senate File 2569 (status) East side transit project PR-propaganda - blank check (no $ amount)

This bill will promote new transit projects (BRT & LRT) to minority groups. 

Instead of sitting on fast express buses steering around obstacles, stand up while riding a slower transit (BRT & LRT) with more connections and station waits! 

Plus, Transit Oriented Development (TOD) subsidies will surround each transit station with high priced four-story condominiums. TOD is a Portland invention to tear down undesirable neighborhoods and put in white rail um, light skin rail um, LRT (light race transit).

It practically advertises itself!

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2015 Minnesota Transit Bills

The 2015 Minnesota state legislature session passed $172,480,000 of transportation funding. Lobbyists from Transit for Livable Communities (transit for bikers & walkers?) and the Minnesota Transportation Alliance (safety?!?) spent over $250,000 in the first half of 2015.

Contact your Minnesota legislators to suggest to them how they should vote.


_____Vote Yes_____✓
House File 899 (status) and Senate File 1250 (status) transit development and finance requires legislative authorization
  ✓  billion dollar projects should require legislative attention & authorization
  ✓  huge Twin Cities metropolitan projects affect the entire state

House File 413 (status) and Senate File 366 (status) streetcars prohibited
  ✓  Minneapolis and St. Paul downtowns do not need more trains on the streets
  ✓  transit advocates oppose streetcars because:
       ✓   streetcars increase traffic congestion
       ✓   streetcars block bus traffic
       ✓   streetcars are costly without increasing mobility over buses
  ✓  MPR filed a lawsuit against the green line for noise and vibration abatement. The green line solution was an unproven concrete-over-rubber-pieces and springs foundation. St. Paul is looking at putting another train (streetcar) downtown on 7th Street to intersect the green line at the MPR studios. Is St. Paul trying for 100% vacancy?

The streetcar (p.23) spends $246 million in capital costs and $8 million in annual operations to have a potential of $134 million in development. If you think that's good, give me $246. I may give you $134 back but expect to give me another $8 each year from now onward.

•  St. Paul Streetcar Scam - with national streetcar news
•  The Magic of Streetcars, the Logic of Buses by Prof. David Levinson, UofMN
•  Meet the Worst Transit Project in America
•  U.S. Streetcars Just Aren't Meeting the Standards of Good Transit - CityLab
•  Portland subsidies, not streetcars, enabled development
 

House File 11 (status) and Senate File 108 (status) no Zip line (Rochester to Twin Cities)
  ✓  Rochester has an airport with flights from Chicago, Detroit, Phoenix, and the Twin Cities
  ✓  Rochester has bus service (Jefferson Lines 800-451-5333)
  ✓  Amtrak runs to Winona (43 miles from Rochester)

House File 106 (status) and Senate File 130 (status) eminent domain can't break up a farm
  ✓  eminent domain shouldn't be used to break up farms or put farm business on hold indefinitely

House File 448 (status) and Senate File 71 (status) local cities have input into Metropolitan Council membership
   ✓   bipartisan support for representational government is good
   ✓  “Nobody Likes the Met Council,” MinnPost pointed out recently
   ✓   opposition: Eliminate the Met Council
   ✓   Met Council thinks they just need a new mascot
   ✓   Met Council signs lie about city ordinance 140.02 (MPR, StarTribune)
   ✓   Anoka, Carver, Dakota, and Scott counties are notifying the U.S. Department of Transportation that the Met Council violates a federal requirement for elected officials

House File 195 (status) and Senate File 370 (status) Metropolitan Council - no debt
   ✓  Met Council is already a second transportation department. It should not be a second Minnesota legislature also.
   ✓  Met Council should not sell bonds for its real estate deals. Transit oriented development is the number one overreach of the council.


House File 9 (status) and Senate File 127 (status) Legislative Commission on the Metropolitan Council created

House File 310 (status) and Senate File 277 (status) light rail transit facilities must have local approval

House File 911 (status) and Senate File 770 (status) light rail announcements must be in two languages
   ✓  Safety communication must be understood


_____Vote No_____X
House File 1310 (status) and Senate File 1234 (status) $40 million for Kellogg-Third Street bridge replacement
  X   repair bill for the Kellogg-Third bridge is less than $8 million
  X   bridge that was overbuilt in 1982 will be over-overbuilt again if replaced
  X   the bridge has only 9,900 annual average daily traffic (AADT)
  X   transit disguised as infrastructure - transit planners want to use the bridge for future Gateway Corridor BRT & as a connection to future Rush line transit



House File 1616 (status) and Senate File 1464 (status) Gateway Corridor wants $3 million from the general fund
House File 1617 (status) and Senate File 1463 (status) Gateway Corridor wants $3 million from the sale of bonds

No matter where the funding is from, Gateway Corridor is a needless east-metro transit plan to replace the existing express buses that already run successfully on I-94 (MetroTransit express 294, limited stop 350, express 351, express 353, express 355, express 375), using the shoulder to move around traffic. Gateway wants $450 million to build a dedicated bus lane.
  X   Gateway wants bus money to replace several express buses with 1 bus.
  X   In 2014, Gateway received funding and took 30 people to Los Angeles.
That wasn't part of last year's funding request, was it? No, it wasn't. What vacation destination is planned for this year's funding?
  X   Gateway would replace express buses, but does not include the cost of feeder buses (Washington County Watchdog)
  X   Rep. Kelly Fenton campaigned against wasteful transit spending but was pressured by transit lobbyists to support this bill.


House File 267 (status) and Senate File 312 (status) $121 million for Southwest light rail
  X   wrong route (better route if at all)
  X   $1.6 billion price tag
  X   transit oriented development (TOD) purpose, not transit
  X   the largest employer in downtown Minneapolis: Target's 1,700 layoffs
  X   lawsuits continue: Minnetonka residents sue Met Council
  X   lawsuit by the owners of 500 apartment and townhouses in three complexes within feet of the proposed Southwest light rail tracks
  X   metro small businesses oppose SW plan, its sales tax increase, and its ongoing subsidy of $30 million per year (NFIB, Star Tribune)


House File 754 (status) and Senate File 493 (status) $18 million for Bottineau light rail
  X   Bottineau opposition: Say No To Bottineau
  X   Bottineau opposition: Golden Valley meeting

House File 757 (status) and Senate File 192 (status) $1 million for Red Rock Corridor in 2015

House File 758 (status) and Senate File 193 (status) $1 million for Red Rock Corridor in 2016

House File 600 (status) and Senate File 87 (status) Gov. Dayton's 2015 Transportation Bill - increase gas tax & sales tax for transit when the state has a $1.87 billion surplus
  X   52% opposition, according to a StarTribune poll (March 16-18)
  X   Propose $11 billion for light rail, bridges, & bike path

  X   Raise gas tax 16 cents, and more when gas prices rise
  X   Increase registration & license tab prices
   ($10 + 1.25% vehicle value)
  X   Increase metro sales tax for riderless transit projects & studies
  (currently .25%, increased .5% to an additional .75% for transit)
  X   Penalize the Minneapolis Park Board over SW light rail
   ($1.6 billion cut in 2016 and in 2017)
  X   Hire Adam Duininck to head Metro Council & give job 236% raise
   (Susan Haigh received $61,414. Duininck will make $145,000.)

House File 279 (status) and Senate File 245 (status) $15 million improvements to Mall of America transit station
   X   Heavy price for light rail

House File 1137 (status)  $9.56 million Lake St. & 35W transit station
   X   Overpriced elevator

House File 186 (status) and Senate File 11 (status) 40% of transit sales tax goes to Ramsey, Washington, & Dakota counties
   X   St. Paul wants what Minneapolis gets (less 10%)

House File 956 (status) and Senate File 747 (status) $10 million to transportation economic development grants

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2014 Minnesota Transit Bills

The 2014 Minnesota state legislature is in session now, committees are meeting, and legislators want to know how to vote for the bills in front of them. Help Minnesota legislators to know how to vote.

House File 2751 (status) and Senate File 2268 (status) Transportation Accessibility Advisory Committee - amendment S2268A2 (May 14, 2014, defeated 56-73):
"Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 473.399, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
Subdivision 1. General requirements. (a) The council must identify in its transportation policy plan those heavily traveled corridors where development of a transit way may be feasible and cost-effective. Modes of providing service in a transit way may include bus rapid transit, light rail transit, commuter rail, or other available systems or technologies that improve transit service.
(b) After the completion of environmental studies and receipt of input from the
governing body of each statutory and home rule charter city, county, and town in which a transit way is proposed to be constructed, the council must designate the locally preferred alternative transit mode with respect to the corridor.
(c) The council shall ensure that any light rail transit facilities that are designated as the locally preferred alternative and that are to be constructed in the metropolitan area will be acquired, developed, owned, and capable of operation in an efficient, cost-effective, and coordinated manner in coordination with buses and other transportation modes and facilities.
(d) Construction of light rail transit facilities in a particular transit corridor may not commence unless and until that mode is designated as the locally preferred alternative for that corridor by the council, and requirements under section 473.3994, subdivision 1.215a, are met.
(e) The council may not enter the federally authorized preliminary engineering phase on a light rail transit project until the project is specifically authorized by a law enacted by the legislature.

Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 473.3994, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
Subd. 3. Preliminary design plans; hearings and local approval. At least 30 days
(a) Before the hearing under subdivision 2, the responsible authority shall submit the physical design component of the preliminary design plans to the governing body of each statutory and home rule charter city, county, and town in which the route is proposed to be located. The Within 60 days of submission of the preliminary design plans, and following public notice of at least 30 days, each statutory and home rule charter city, county, or town shall hold a public hearing, at which the responsible authority shall present the physical design component of the preliminary design plans.
(b) Within 45 days after the hearing under subdivision 2 90 days of a hearing under paragraph (a), the city, county, or town shall review and approve or disapprove the preliminary design plans for the route to be located in the city, county, or town in writing.
A local unit of government that disapproves the plans shall describe specific amendments to the plans that, if adopted, would cause the local unit of government to withdraw its disapproval. Failure to approve or disapprove the plans in writing within 45 days after the hearing the time period is deemed to be approval, unless an extension of time is agreed to by the city, county, or town and the responsible authority.
(c) Following disapproval under this subdivision by one or more local units of
government, the responsible authority shall (1) resubmit amended preliminary design plans, (2) prepare final design plans with amendments identified by the local unit of government, or (3) decide not to proceed with the project. Upon resubmission of amended preliminary design plans, each local unit of government shall follow the procedures under paragraphs (a) and (b).

Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 473.3994, subdivision 4, is amended to read:
Subd. 4. Preliminary design plans; council hearing and review. If the governing
body of one or more cities, counties, or towns disapproves the preliminary design plans within the period allowed under subdivision 3, the council shall may hold a hearing on the plans, giving the commissioner of transportation, if the responsible authority, any disapproving local governmental units, and other persons an opportunity to present their views on the plans. The council may conduct independent study as it deems desirable and may mediate and attempt to resolve disagreements about the plans. Within 60 days after the hearing, the council shall review the plans and shall decide what amendments to the plans, if any, must be made to accommodate the objections presented by the disapproving
local governmental units. Amendments to the plans as decided by the council must be made before continuing the planning and designing process.

Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 473.3994, subdivision 5, is amended to read:
Subd. 5. Final design plans; hearings and local approval. (a) If any of the
following applies, the responsible authority shall submit the physical design component of the final design plans to the governing body of each statutory and home rule charter city, county, and town in which the route is proposed to be located:
(1) the final design plans incorporate a substantial change from the preliminary
design plans with respect to location, length, or termini of routes; general dimension, elevation, or alignment of routes and crossings; location of tracks above ground, below ground, or at ground level; or station locations, before beginning construction, the responsible authority shall submit the changed component of the final design plans to the governing body of each statutory and home rule city, county, and town in which the changed component is proposed to be located.; or
(2) a local unit of government disapproved the preliminary design plans under
subdivision 3, following any resubmission if applicable.
(b) Within 60 days of submission of the final design plans, and following public
notice of at least 30 days, each statutory and home rule charter city, county, or town shall hold a public hearing, at which the responsible authority shall present the physical design component of the final design plans.
(c) Within 60 days after the submission of the plans 90 days of a hearing under
3.20paragraph (b), the city, county, or town shall review and approve or disapprove the changed component located in the city, county, or town final design plans in writing. A local unit of government that disapproves the change shall describe specific amendments to the plans that, if adopted, would cause the local unit of government to withdraw its disapproval. Failure to approve or disapprove the changed plans in writing within the time period is deemed to be approval, unless an extension is agreed to by the city, county, or town and the responsible authority.
(b) If the governing body of one or more cities, counties, or towns disapproves the changed plans within the period allowed under paragraph (a), the council shall review the final design plans under the same procedure and with the same effect as provided in subdivision 4 for preliminary design plans.
(d) Following disapproval under this subdivision by one or more local units of government, the responsible authority shall (1) resubmit amended final design plans, or (2) decide not to proceed with the project. Upon resubmission of amended final design plans, each local unit of government shall follow the procedures under paragraphs (b) and (c).

Sec. 7. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 473.3994, is amended by adding a subdivision to read:
Subd. 5a. Municipal consent for construction. The responsible authority may not commence construction on light rail transit facilities under sections 473.3993 to 473.3997 unless each statutory or home rule charter city, county, and town in which the route is proposed to be located approves the design plans as required under subdivision 3 and, if applicable, subdivision 5."
Page 2, delete line 30 and insert "This act is effective the day following final
enactment. This act applies in the counties of Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington. Section 3, paragraph (d), and sections 4 to 7 apply to a project in preliminary engineering, or final design, on or after that date."


House File 3250 (status) gives $50 million (in Section 17) for a list of transit projects, including the Gateway Corridor mystery vehicle and East 7th Street (?) mystery corridor. (What East 7th Street plan? Some sort of real estate gift wrap for 3M-Beacon Bluff?)  Section 16 of the bill has $27 million more for rail projects to welcome back 19th century Minnesota.

House File 2490 (status) and Senate File 2605 (status) is Governor Dayton's 2014 bonding bill with $1.3 millon for greater Minnesota transit, whatever that is. It also has $15 million (in Section 17) slush fund for a list of transit projects, including the Gateway Corridor mystery vehicle and East 7th Street(?) mystery corridor. The $5 million for Saint Paul's Palace Theater says the money can't be spent until an equal amount of non-state money could be found -- shouldn't most bonding items include that provision? The House passed HF 2490 on Thursday, May 15, 2014 (technically early Friday). The Senate passed HF 2490 on Friday, May 16.

House File 3172 (status) and Senate File 2785 (status) give $37 million to the befuddled Southwest Corridor (page 80). Plus, $500 thousand to light rail planners for the next rail misalignment (page 75). On Thursday, April 3, 2014, the MN House of Representatives passed this bill. On Tuesday, April 8th, it passed the Senate. There was no mention of the $37 million funding for the divisive Southwest Corridor at the House of Representatives, despite its questionable alignment, its questionable construction method, and an unknown total cost. The current Southwest Corridor starting prices are:
     $1.6 billion for Kenilworth Shallow Tunnel
     $1.7 billion for Kenilworth LRT Tunnel
     $1.7 billion for MN&S North Freight Rail Relocation

So many people believe this plan should be either scrapped or moved to Uptown and the Midtown Greenway where it could benefit Minneapolis. Tucking SW Corridor (and other bills that couldn't have had a prayer on their own), under the disability bill is wrong. Minneapolis and St. Louis Park residents have told the Southwest Corridor they'd rather have freight traffic than light rail. Here is Safety in the Park, an MPR video, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges' statement, and here's a Minneapolis City Council meeting from March 5, 2014. And the Metro Council sent the wrong plans to Minneapolis in April 2014.

House File 3260 (status) and Senate File 2858 (status) give $37 million to the befuddled Southwest Corridor. Plus, $500 thousand to light rail planners for the next rail misalignment. Two identical sets of bills?!? The purpose is to either confuse the public or speed up the committee process (or both).

House File 3250 (status) gives $50 million for a list of transit projects, including the Gateway Corridor mystery vehicle.

House File 2061 (status) and Senate File 2077 (status) is $10 million to Ramsey County for whatever will increase rail capacity in the east metro. Is their a rail capacity problem in Ramsey County's east metro?!? This is very vague. Is this a slush fund for streetcars or Gateway Corridor? If this bill were to pass and Ramsey County used or attempted to use this money without actually causing any increase to rail capacity, any litigious individual would have the civic responsibility to challenge the purpose in a court of law. Contact the House Transportation Finance (schedule) or Senate Finance (schedule) committee members to voice your opinions.

House File 2332 (status) and Senate File 2074 (status) is $5 million for Gateway Corridor (see details below) despite no decision on whether it is a bus or a train (big difference!) or if it is needed at all. Contact the House Transportation Finance (schedule) or Senate Finance (schedule) committee members to voice your opinions.

House File 2231 (status) and Senate File 2251 (status) is $75.3 million Met Council funding for the next two years for the 7 metro counties. Usually, the Met Council only asks for one year at a time.

House File 2395 (status) and Senate File 2107 (status) gives $200 million to Corridors of Commerce as study money and to begin property salvage and seizure (eminent domain). Was Kelo v. New London (2005) so long ago that state legislators have forgotten its lessons? After a $1.2 billion surplus, the plan is raise the gas tax rate to either: ten cents per gallon or five percent of the Minnesota wholesale gasoline price per gallon, whichever is more (added to the existing MN 28.5¢ & 18.4¢ US per gallon). If gas is $3.50 per gallon, the new tax is 17¢ per gallon ($3.50 x 5% = 17 cents per gallon). If gas is $2 or less, the tax is 10 cents per gallon. Plus there's a sales tax increase of 1%. Plus an additional tax of $20 on cars purchased. All of this money will be spent by a new GEARS Committee and must be used for the Southwest light rail transit project and the Bottineau Boulevard, Riverview, Robert Street, Red Rock, Gateway, I-394 Commuter Corridor, and Rush Line transit ways. Scott and Carver counties add money without receiving any. But without federal money, there will not be any big transportation projects. According to the Washington Post, with the Federal Highway Trust Fund forecast to go bankrupt next year and the current U.S. transportation bill expiring Oct. 1st, Congress is struggling to find funds for a new long-term transportation bill. Contact the House Tax (schedule) or Senate Finance (schedule) committee members to voice your opinions. The transit advocates talk in committees about roads and bridges, but the bill puts gas taxes to transit not roads and takes the MN Legislature out of the decision making process.

Senate File 1963 (status) tells the Met Council, cities, and counties how to address disagreements like what has happened to the Southwest Corridor project. Contact Senate Transportation & Public Safety committee members to voice your opinions (schedule).

House File 2817 (status) and Senate File 2491 (status) appear to be a blank check for Southwest Corridor. The bill shows no dollar amount -- understandable since the route has not been decided.

House File 2613 (status) and Senate File 2162 (status) somehow makes transit a watershed district activity! Senate File 2162 passed the legislature.

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2013 Minnesota Transit Bills

House File 1444 the Omnibus Transportation Finance bill will be taken by the Minnesota House for a vote on Wednesday, April 24th. The bill is a compilation of previous transportation bills.

Representative Runbeck had an interesting amendment, H1444A30:

1.1.................... moves to amend H.F. No. 1444, the third engrossment, as follows:
1.2Page 29, after line 22, insert:

1.3    "Sec. 15. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 473.408, is amended by adding a
1.4subdivision to read:
1.5    Subd. 11. Transitway fare collection system. The council shall develop and
1.6implement a controlled access fare collection system for each light rail transit line or bus
1.7rapid transit line that enters into final design on or after the effective date of this act.
1.8The system must include physically secured access at each stop on the line that prevents
1.9boarding, and entrance to a waiting area, prior to demonstrating proof of payment."
1.10Renumber the sections in sequence and correct the internal references
1.11Amend the title accordingly

Los Angeles is in the process of adding gates and eliminating the light rail honor system of payment. KABC-LA reported that in a test, revenue increased as much as 32%. An April 2013 article in the LA Times, discusses the status of the implementation of the gates.

Using Metro Transit data -- in 2009, the light rail passenger fares were $9,315,345 times 9,863,042 riders = 94 cents per ride. If each of the 9,863,042 riders paid the off-peak $1.75 fare, the annual passenger fare should be $17,260,323 instead of the reported $9,315,345.

===============================================================

[Earlier information:]

Two bills of consequence for the Gateway Corridor will be working their way through Minnesota Legislative committees (for public input) and potentially appearing before the Minnesota House and Minnesota Senate for votes in the next few weeks.

House File 1223 would allow Washington County to proceed with the Gateway Corridor as a bus rapid transit system, although news items indicate the Gateway Corridor Commission has not yet decided whether the Gateway Corridor is a bus system or light rail system. The determining factor has been reported as "whatever funding allows." The first step for this bill is to appear before the Transportation Policy committee at 2:15pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013. Committee path for House File 1223. On March 21, 2013, Chair Hornstein laid HF 1223 over for possible inclusion in the Omnibus Transportation Finance bill (HF 1444). House File 1444 was presented Friday, April 12, 2013 at 9am in the State Office Building basement.

House File 793 would provide a slush fund of $26 million for any intercity passenger service through the sale of Minnesota bonds. Gateway Corridor would connect St. Paul, Minnesota with Wisconsin (or the border), making it an interstate passenger service, not an intercity passenger service. By name the bill separates the Gateway Corridor from other passenger service projects. This bill would remove the Minnesota Legislature from specific light rail and bus transit system funding. It is a blank check. The first step for this bill is to appear before the Transportation Finance committee at 10am on Thursday, March 14, 2013. Committee path for House File 793.

If House File 793 includes the Gateway to Wisconsin (Corridor), it would give the blank check to Wisconsin commuters. Wisconsin commuters still owe Minnesota money. (A recent report says the MN & WI revenue departments agree that Wisconsin owes Minnesota $69 million. Minnesota wants an additional $6 million annually to cover lost money from Wisconsin commuters.)

The problem with any blank check for transit has been highlighted by the Central Corridor's disconnection with its communities (businesses and residents). The Metropolitan Council needs help. Legislative committees need to help ask the tough, detailed questions. The Gateway Corridor has already headed down the wrong road, failing to assure residents that any rapid transit system will be kept off residential streets.