A thought for the day…
Resilience is, of course, necessary for a warrior. But a lack of empathy isn't.
– Phil Klay (born 1983) American author and U.S. Marine Corps veteran
 IN THIS ISSUE
Guest notes from Adam Harrington
Director of Service Development, Metro Transit
Since the start of the COVD-19 pandemic, our ridership has remained incredibly consistent, with about 50,000 to 70,000 local bus rides and around 25,000 light rail rides per day.
In May, we saw small increases in these numbers, a welcome sign that more riders are starting to return to transit. Recovering from the pandemic will take time, though.
Today, our primary objective is to ensure those who are riding and coming back have the kind of experiences that lead them to regularly use transit, and that we show prospective customers everything we’re doing to improve our service.
These have always been important objectives, but they are even more critical now because the habits people fall into after the pandemic will become harder to change as time goes by.
To help us put our best foot forward, I am leading a new cross-departmental team that will spend the coming months working together to address some of our most pressing and immediate issues.
Read the full column in Insights.
For more on this important work as we transition out of the height of the pandemic, including details on the August service changes and a legislative update, check out this Friday's Insights newsletter.
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The Legislature continues to work in a special session that was called by Governor Walz on June 14. Legislators have been putting in long hours throughout the last two weeks as they work to pass budget bills before the current state budget ends on June 30. Leaders have been negotiating budget and policy items to close out major omnibus bills since the end of the regular session in May.
As of Monday night, the transportation, Legacy, and environment and natural resources bills, which contain provisions that impact the Met Council, have passed both the House and Senate and been signed (or are expected to be signed) by the Governor. Several major omnibus bills will need to be taken up by the House and Senate in the next days, including the tax, public safety, state government finance, and jobs and economic development bills. It also remains to be seen whether the legislature will reach an agreement on a potential 2021 bonding bill.
Transportation
The transportation bill that was enacted includes a continuation of base-level General Fund appropriations for Metro Mobility and transit system operations. One-time appropriations of $55.7 million for arterial bus rapid transit projects and $250,000 for an analysis of transit system improvements in the Trunk Highway 55 corridor were also included in the final bill. Language in the bill authorizes the Met Council to issue regional transit capital bonds in 2021 and 2022 for capital needs, such as fleet replacement.
A significant policy item in the bill establishes Metro Mobility as a forecasted item in the state budget beginning in state fiscal year 2026. This means that future state budget forecasts will incorporate an obligation from the General Fund for the costs of Metro Mobility. The appropriation base will be set for the amount necessary to maintain service levels less any funds from non-state sources, such as fares. Other policy provisions in the bill require the Met Council to develop a zero-emission transit vehicle transition plan, require reporting of operations expenses and reserve fund balances from the Met Council and opt-out transit providers, and provide for a study of public transportation post-pandemic with a specific focus on Northstar commuter rail and commuter-oriented transit service.
Regional Parks
The omnibus environment and natural resources bill includes $9.9 million each year in fiscal years 2022-23 for regional parks operations and maintenance, which represents an increase of $850,000 per year. The bill also incorporated two years of LCCMR projects from the Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund, which include $1 million in 2021 and $2.25 million in 2022 for regional parks land acquisition.
The omnibus Legacy Fund bill continued the 40-40-20 split of the Parks & Trails Fund to the Met Council for regional parks, the Department of Natural Resources for state parks, and Greater Minnesota Parks and Trails. $21.712 million in fiscal year 2022 and $22.149 million in fiscal year 2023 will be distributed for projects that are approved by the elected representatives of each of the implementing agencies.
Environmental Services
The omnibus Legacy Fund bill also includes appropriations from the Clean Water Fund. $919,000 each year was allocated for the Met Council’s Water Supply Sustainability Support program, which supports projects that address emerging drinking water supply threats. $625,000 each year was appropriated for the Met Council’s Water Demand Reduction Grant Program, which provides grants for projects that encourage implementation of water conservation measures by municipalities in the metro area. This is an increase of $250,000 each year over the previous appropriation for the Water Demand Reduction Grant Program.
Questions? Email Brooke Bordson in Government Affairs at Brooke.Bordson@metc.state.mn.us.
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The Met Council has updated an evaluation of its wide-ranging facilities to identify barriers to programs and services for people with disabilities.
Based on the findings, actions for bringing the Met Council into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are detailed in its ADA Transition Plan. The Met Council updates the plan annually to address the results of the evaluation.
The ADA is the federal civil rights law that requires equal treatment of people with disabilities. It prohibits discrimination in services, employment, government, and other areas of public life.
Under Title II of the act, the Met Council and other public entities are required to complete two steps as part of complying with the law. The first is to conduct a self-evaluation of its facilities and services each year.
The second step calls for the organization to annually update its Transition Plan. The Met Council’s plan, updated in March, shows how it intends to work toward making its opportunities more accessible to people with disabilities.
Guthrie Byard, the Met Council’s ADA and Title VI Administrator, said the self-evaluation covered four main categories of facilities – the Met Council’s public facilities and those that support transit operations, wastewater treatment plants, office buildings, and a number of bus stops.
“To get a clearer picture of our situation, we engaged community members for their observations and comments about accessibility issues, as well as Council employees,” said Byard. “We hosted two listening sessions, held a two-month comment period, and sent out questionnaires to people in the community and our own employees.”
In response to the questionnaires, the Met Council received nearly 600 comments from 160 employees and more than 400 from the broader community, said Byard. The results identified hundreds of barriers.
The barriers were categorized into four levels, based on their significance. Those with a Priority 1 designation were the most severe, while those with priorities 2 through 4 represented decreasing levels of concern.
“Despite the large number of barriers identified, we found that only 2% of them belonged in the Priority 1 category,” Byard said.
Some respondents cited problems involving housing expense and availability, lack of accessibility in some parks, access to accessible seats on transit, lack of information about Met Council services, some transit facilities feeling unsafe or not maintained, and the expense for using Metro Mobility.
“But only a handful of respondents noted these specific problems when asked whether they weren’t able to use services because of accessibility issues,” Byard said. “It’s safe to say that the Council’s facilities and programs are mostly fully accessible.”
The Met Council divisions are now using the findings to help them prioritize projects to take on.
Read the ADA Transition Plan.
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The following highlights provide a summary of important information you need to know related to the Met Council’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The newest and most complete information is available in the COVID-19 update emailed to all staff every other week on Thursdays. (Read the most recent bulletin, June 24.)
Recent news:
- Last week, Met Council leadership released the updated Pandemic Preparedness Plan, the framework for guidance related to our COVID-19 pandemic response.
- The Met Council no longer requires employees and visitors to wear face coverings, practice physical distancing, or participate in temperature screening at our facilities.
- The FAQ pages on MetNet will be updated with more specific information in the coming weeks.
Tools to help you find vaccine appointments:
COVID-19 testing:
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In case you missed it: Recording of the Affirmative Action Plan info sessions
All Met Council staff were invited to attend an info session to learn more about the organization's Affirmative Action Plan. The two sessions were held on June 14 and June 22, and more than 500 employees in total participated.
If you missed it, you can watch the recording of the June 14 session.
These one-hour sessions were hosted by the Office of Equal Opportunity, who presented an overview of the plan and answered questions alongside staff from Human Resources.
These sessions helped staff:
- Gain understanding of the Met Council's Affirmative Action Plan
- Understand their role in ensuring successful implementation of the plan
- Learn about the programs and activities underway and planned to achieve workforce equity
Engage all year long with the Pride Employee Resource Group
Pride Month is a celebration of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community. It is celebrated in June to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred in June 1969 and served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement.
Several Pride events were held this month, including some hosted by the newly formed Pride Employee Resource Group. This group hosts monthly discussions and serves as a support network for Met Council staff. All employees are welcome to participate in their discussions and events.
For more information, check out the equity calendar on MetNet or email David.Hanson@metrotransit.org or Nia.Colebrooke@metc.state.mn.us.
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Staff invited to volunteer for marketing pieces
The marketing departments for the Met Council and Metro Transit are actively seeking out models for future photo and video projects from among our employees. We are looking for employee participants from all walks of life and communities to participate in photo shoots, video shoots, and voice-over work.
All Met Council staff are encouraged to consider filling out the online intake form regarding their interest. If you have any questions, please contact Kathryn Lehinger at Kathryn.Lehinger@MetroTransit.org.
Brianna Berg
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Talent Acquisition Specialist 2
Human Resources
Primary duties
I will administer recruitment and selection processes for Metro Transit.
Started
June 14
How does it feel to start a new job when many employees are working from home?
It’s been interesting. I look forward to meeting my colleagues in person.
Hometown
East Bethel
Current residence
Coon Rapids
Family
I live with my partner, 11-year-old daughter, and dog, Charlie. Our oldest daughter, 26, lives in Blaine.
Experience
I worked at the City of Minneapolis for the last eight years in various human resources roles.
Other interests
I enjoy gardening, going to the movies, spending time at the lake, and being with family.
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Mark Newell
Pronouns: he/him/his
Business Analyst 3
Metro Mobility
Primary duties
My primary responsibility is to ensure that Trapeze PASS system and other related systems are being optimized to support the Metro Mobility service, related to projects, administrative tasks, and end user support. I will be the primary liaison between end users and IT back-office.
Started
April 26
How does it feel to start a new job when many employees are working from home?
A little daunting at first, but the virtual connection helps to feel connected and put faces with names.
Hometown
Bloomington
Current residence
Richfield
Family
I have three adult children and two grand-babies.
Education
Graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida
Experience
Trouble-shooting system issues and working with end users to improve processes / procedure to enhance the user's work experience.
Other interests
Health and fitness – I try to work out regularly and eat a little bit of everything but not too much of anything. I landscape my yard all summer long, and I'm a DIYer on my house projects.
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 Floating to the sounds of Nature
Purchasing Agent Natalie McGuire took this photograph last 4th of July while spending time on a small lake in northern Minnesota. "I had the lake to myself as the majority went back home to the cities, and I was one with Mother Nature," she said. "I lost myself in the quiet calm of Nature listening to the loons singing and the light breezes playing their favorite instruments, the trees."
Looking for your cool photo!
Do you have photos to share? The Wire is always looking for the next cool photo from staff, from a close-up in your flower garden, to scenic vistas up north, to exotic travel adventures, or more artful fare like reflections and silhouettes. The only criteria is that it's a cool photo! Just email the editor at the address below.
The Wire is published every two weeks for employees of the Met Council. Everyone is invited to submit comments and story ideas. Contact the editor at TheWire@metc.state.mn.us.
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