This week, the Metropolitan Council adopted the Public Comment Draft of the 2022 Unified Budget. It contains both our proposed operating budget and capital program for next year. The budget lays out revenues and spending for the  planning and services that provide a foundation for regional economic vitality. 

• More about the budget
• How to comment on the budget 

The METRO Purple Line (formerly the Rush Line) – a bus rapid transit line planned for the northeast metro – received environmental clearance from the Federal Transit Administration this month. This milestone helps to clear the way for the transfer of the project from Ramsey County to the Met Council in the coming months. More about the bus rapid transit project.

We're working with the Nature Conservancy and Tree Trust to build an app that helps communities track where tree canopies are thin and then prioritize where to get the most impact from new planting. Read about this project and volunteers in Saint Paul who are working to expand the tree canopy in a handful of neighborhoods.

In his day job, Tyler Winter monitors water quality in area rivers and streams for Metropolitan Council Environmental Services. When off-duty, he fishes these same waters and educates people about certain fish that have been much maligned through history. According to Winter, native nongame fish are indicators of good water quality and good habitat.

This month, the Met Council approved the final corridor plan for the METRO B Line, including all 33 stations and routing. The B Line is a $65 million bus rapid transit line that connects Uptown in Minneapolis with Union Depot in Saint Paul, largely replacing local bus route 21. The project now moves into the detailed design phase. 

Metro HRA's Community Choice Program is helping low-income families prosper in new homes and neighborhoods where they feel safer, more supported, and better able to reach their goals. Hear the story of one family who enrolled in the program. 

Metro Transit is committed to reducing vehicle emissions by bringing more electric buses into its fleet, and is developing a Zero-Emission Bus Transition Plan that will be completed in early 2022. Two facilitated virtual workshops about the plan, open to the public, are scheduled for early November. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has honored Metropolitan Council Environmental Services with a 2021 WaterSense Excellence Award. Two programs, in particular, were singled out for recognition: our Water Efficiency Grant Program and our partnership with the University of Minnesota for the Turfgrass Irrigation Efficiency Project. These programs benefit homeowners and local governments.

A project by University of Minnesota researchers found that five new transitways planned for the Twin Cities area improve access for various demographic groups to destinations like grocery stores, health care facilities, parks, and high schools. More on the study.