4.2. SR 01-18-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

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'ity of River MEMORANDUM Item # 6.2. TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: Mayor and City Council Scott Harlicker, Senior Planne January 18, 2000 Northstar Corridor Update At the January 6, 2000 meeting of the Northstar Corridor Development the Authority heard an update from MnDOT regarding their draft plan for commuter rail and discussed possible legislative action in 2000 state legislative session. The main issue in the draft MnDOT plan that will affect Elk River is their proposal for local ownership, operation and maintenance of the station. Each city will be expected to acquire the property, own and operate the station and be responsible for day-to-day maintenance. It was mentioned that some funding could be available from the state, however, the MnDOT representative did not elaborate. The NCDA staff is discussing the draft plan with MnDOT and changes in the plan regarding station policy are expected. Because Elk River has been identified as a multi-model station, money for property acquisition is likely to be available from the multi-model transit fund, which is available through the NCDA. The NCDA's legislative consultant presented their proposed strategy for the 2000 legislative session. It included using a portion of the state sales tax to fund a portion of the operating costs for the corridor. It was not a proposal to increase the sale tax, but to allocate a percentage of the current 6.5 % tax to fund operating costs. Their proposal to fund capital costs included $19 million cash funding for the year 2000 and a $35 million bonding proposal for the year 2001. The NCDA's public relations consultant will be mailing out, to 300,000 homes within 5 mile of the corridor, a color informational newsletter. The newsletter will include maps, photos and articles regarding the activities and plans for the Northstar Corridor. S:\PLANNING\SCOTT\NCDAJAN.DOC 13065 Orono Parkway · P.O. Box 490 · Elk River, MN 55330 · TDD & Phone: (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425