Committee advances Met Council reform bill after adopting DE2 amendment

The Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee on Monday adopted an amendment to House File 1329 and recommended the bill to pass, sending it to the General Register by a 6-5 roll-call vote.

Representative John Kosnick, author of HF1329, told the committee the bill "deals with Met Council reform," adding the measure introduces staggered terms and creates a nominating committee intended to increase accountability and local input in selections to the Metropolitan Council.

The DE2 amendment, which the committee adopted before final passage, would: introduce staggered terms for Met Council members; require public notice (including electronic notice) to local governments about vacancies; establish a 15-member nominating committee composed of three gubernatorial appointees, five appointees from a cities association and seven county appointees (one per affected county); require the nominating committee to provide at least three finalists per seat and to publish those names; impose a 14-day waiting period after publication; and require the governor to provide an explanation to the state if the governor selects a person not among the nominees.

Kosnick said the package was intended as an increment of change after years of study, including a 2020 Blue Ribbon panel and a later legislative task force. He described the proposal as a way "to have more accountability, more transparency, and have more input in the nominating committee for the Met Council members themselves."

Several members pressed the author and staff on the bill's scope and consultation. Representative Freiberg said stakeholders such as the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities and county organizations were part of task-force discussions but said the committee had little time to vet the specific amendment posted shortly before the hearing and called for more committee time and outreach. Freiberg moved to refer the bill to the Transportation Committee for additional stakeholder input; that motion failed on a roll call (5-6).

Other members raised substantive concerns. Some committee members asked whether Met Council seats should be elected rather than appointed; Kosnick said he opposed an elected Met Council because he believed it could become a separate, powerful legislature and reduce accountability to the local units of government. Representative Coulter said she agreed it would be unwise to populate the Met Council with elected officials. Representative Freiberg and others also questioned the balance of representation on the nominating committee, arguing cities that rely on regional wastewater and other Met Council services should have commensurate influence.

On the final roll call to recommend passage and referral to the General Register, the committee voted 6 ayes and 5 nays and the motion carried. (See action record below for vote tallies reported in the transcript.)

The bill now moves toward floor consideration; the author said he was open to further amendments and additional stakeholder work before a floor vote.

Ending: Committee members who asked for more time indicated they would continue to seek changes during subsequent steps of the legislative process.