Behind the scenes, the Metropolitan Council is building a $1.2 billion budget for 2023, but our communities are being left out of the process. The Governor-appointed Council has more than half a billion dollars to spend on public transit, but they’re not asking us — bus riders, community leaders, and climate advocates — what we need.
We need the Council to do 3 things:
We’re fighting for bus and train riders to have power in budget decisions. This budget is our budget: the taxes and transit fares that pay for the system are our taxes and fares. We aren’t just going to win our three goals — we’re also going to win power for riders in future budgets.
Transportation is the largest producer of carbon emissions in Minnesota. We need to transform our transit systems so that we can depend on public buses and trains to visit our friends and families; get to work, to school, the doctor; go shopping and enjoy outdoor space and recreation. We need safe buses, trains, and stops where all people are welcome and treated with dignity. We need to make our public transit system as good or better than owning a car, so everyone can get where they need to go and we can protect our air, land, water, and climate.
We’re focused on the Metropolitan Council because it funds and runs Metro Transit, but that’s not all it’s responsible for. The Council also controls most regional housing policy, water treatment, and regional parks and trails for the 7-county Metro, an area that includes half the state’s population. To fund these services, the Council has a $1.3 billion budget. The 17 Council members are appointed by Governor Tim Walz.
Return to Transit Justice page