Metropolitan Council proposes advance to MnDOT, free Metro Mobility rides and $32.45M general‑fund cut; committee probes long‑term impact

Metropolitan Council Chair Charlie Zelle told the Minnesota House Transportation Committee that the council is proposing three linked budget and policy moves: advance cash to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to coordinate a major highway reconstruction with a transitway build; continue making Metro Mobility riders eligible for free trips on fixed‑route service; and accept a $32,454,000 annual reduction in the council’s state general‑fund appropriation for Metro Transit.

Why it matters: the package mixes a financing maneuver, a service change intended to shift some paratransit riders to fixed‑route service, and a sizable ongoing operating cut that Met Council officials said will be manageable in the near term but will reduce resources available for expansion and long‑term capital maintenance.

Zelle described the proposed MnDOT advance as a temporary use of council reserves to synchronize a state highway reconstruction and bus rapid‑transit (BRT) construction so both projects can proceed at once. Zelle said that coordinating the…