Metro legal outlines roles and limits of NDOT, Traffic & Parking, BPAC and council committee

Metro Legal and the council's special counsel told a joint meeting of council members and advisory bodies that the city's transportation responsibilities are split among distinct entities with different creation mechanisms, membership rules and legal limits. The presentation outlined what each entity may and may not do and stressed compliance with the Metropolitan Charter, the Metropolitan Code of Laws and open-government statutes.

The overview came from Anne Mickelson, an attorney with Metro Legal, and Margaret Darby, director and special counsel to the Metropolitan Council. Mickelson told the group the Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT) has broad duties under the Metropolitan Charter, including design, construction, maintenance, repair and management of public ways and related structures; preparation of plans and reports if requested by council or the mayor; supervision of department contracts; and…