4.6. SR 09-21-1998-'ity of
iver
Item 4.6
MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
Mayor and City Council
Sandra Peine, City Clerk
September 21, 1998
Great River Round Table
Doug Clark will be present to give a short presentation on the Great
River Roundtable organization. The organization will be holding
community meetings in the area. Mr. Clark indicated that he
wanted the Council to be informed of the organization prior to the
meetings being held.
13065 Orono Parkway · P.O. Box 490 · Elk River, MN 55330 · TDD & Phone: (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425
"Where there is no vision,
the people perish. "
The Great River Roundtable
Visioning Session Schedule
Monday-Sept. 21
Tuesday-Sept. 22
Thursday-Sept. 24
Monday-Sept. 28
Tuesday-Sept. 29
Thursday-Oct. 1
Monday-Oct. 5
Tuesday-Oct. 6
Thursday-Oct. 8
Monday-Oct. 12
Tuesday-Oct. 13
Thursday-Oct. 15
Monday-Oct. 19
Tuesday-Oct. 20
St. Cloud Civic Center 7:00 p.m.
Sauk Rapids High School 7:00 p.m.
Talahi Elementary School 7:00 p.m.
Paynesville High School 7:30 p.m.
Cold Spring, Rocori H.S. 7:00 p.m.
St. Joseph, Kennedy Elem. 7:00 p.m.
Elk River Senior H.S. 7:00 p.m.
St. Cloud Apollo H.S. 7:00 p.m.
Rice Elementary School 7:00 p.m.
Foley High School 7:00 p.m.
Melrose High School 7:30 p.m.
Becker High School 7:00 p.m.
Sartell High School 7:00 p.m.
Waite Park City Hall 7:00 p.m.
-Proverbs
The Great River Roundtable
P.O. Box 1716
St. Cloud, MN 56302-1716
(320) 255-7178
Get Involved and Share the Vision/
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Thanks to Thelen Advertisngfor designing this brochure.
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Great River Roundtable '-~
The Great River Roundtable is
an independent, not-for-profit orga-
nization composed of citizens j%m
throughout the Central Minnesota
region. It exists as a forum for
brainstorming and setting priorities
about where we want our commu-
nities to go in the next 50years and
how we will get there.
It(~ying Common Challenges
Working with the St. Cloud Area
Joint Planning District, citizens will
identiJ) issues and share goals for our
communi{y's future.
,eloping Programs
The Visioning Process brings togeth-
er and engages anyone who lives, works,
shops, seeks health care or education in
the Central Minnesota region.
· tdentij~) shared community assets
and areas of concern among region
residents
· Transform those areas of concern
into shared regional goals and
related strategies
· Organize citizen task forces to
work cooperatively with local
governments, the private sector
and area citizens to implement
the shared regional goals.
Volunteers will participate in 4 rounds of
communi{y-based meetings to accomplish the
following activities. (Each one will have a
time jCrame.)
I ROUND I
· Information gatheringj~om various areas
of the region
· All citizens are welcome and encouraged to
participate
· Smallgroups will brainstorm ideas for future
of the region
· Prioritize ideas
IROUND II
· Develop shared regionalgoals
· Ail citizens are welcome and encour-
aged to participate
· Meetings at convenient locations
· Focus on a particular topic (e.g. land
use, transportation, etc.)
which emerged j~om Round t
IROUND III
· Review goals and vision
· Overlay vision with goals of the
St. Cloud Area Joint Planning District
· Set common strategy for implementing vision
· Present the regional vision, set priorities
and celebrate our shared regional vision
you tl~i~l~ ~hout tl~e
o£our re~io~ !
Join your Neighbors at
The Great River Round Table
Attend a vision meeting. Here is how.
A Community meeting will be held:
Get involved. Its your community.
Bring your ideas - Its your future.
Come to the meeting--You will be heard
For more information call the
Great River Round Table at 320-255-7178
, REAT RIVER ROUI.DTABLE REGION
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Map made by SARC for
Great River Roundtable
Community-based planning
in Minnesota
Community-based plannin~ is a local planning process that provides state
assistance to communities as they address growth and other challenges.
Many Minnesota communities do not have up-to-date local plans to guide decisions
about development, land use, transportation and environmental impact. Until 1997,
state law provided little guidance for local plans -- what they should cover, what
approaches might best meet local and state needs, or how to deal with regional
issues that spill over local boundaries. Nor had the state provided funding in the
past 15 years to help with local comprehensive planning.
A 1997 law called the Community-Based Planning Act sets forth a new framework
intended to integrate sustainable development principles into local comprehensive
plans. The new law stresses the need to plan for growth. Different ways of handling
growth have very different results for the environment, the cost of providing public
services, and the character of a community.
The act also provides financial and technical assistance for local planning.
Minnesota Planning, a state agency, administers this assistance. Minnesota
Planning will review and comment on plans prepared by counties and joint
planning districts, including the plans prepared by cities and towns that are
incorporated into those plans.
Planning is voluntary
Minnesota communities can choose whether or not to take advantage of the new
planning process and the state's offer of financial and technical support. Although
participation is voluntary, once a plan is established, the local governments must
follow through on it. Future decisions and ordinances must be consistent with the
plan.
Statewide Doals for local planninD
The 1997 taw lays out 11 goals for community-based plans. These goals address
the long-term interests of the state in responding to growth and change. The goals
cover the following topics:
· Broad citizen participation in the planning process
· Cooperation among neighboring communities
· Sustainable development -- that is, economic development that assures
environmental and community well-being
· Conservation of natural resources and other state assets
· Community design that uses "livable community" principles
· Good, affordable housing for people at all stages of life
· Transportation that focuses on moving people and goods, not just automobiles
· Land use decisions that are based on a publicly supported plan
· Accounting for the full environmental, social and economic costs of new
development
· Increased public awareness of the need to carefully plan for growth
· Improving life for all community members today while preserving the ability of
future generations to do the same
funds from the Board of Government
Innovation and Cooperation. The commission
expects to complete its plan by July 2000.
Carlton County formed a joint board to develop
its plan. The board consists of the county, eight
cities, six townships and the Fond du Lac
Reservation Business Committee. The board is
advisory to the county board and expects to
recommend a plan to them in early 2000.
The Upper Minnesota River pilot in western
Minnesota consists of Big Stone, Lac qui Parle
and Chippewa counties and the cities of
Graceville, Nassau, Dawson, Hazel Run, Milan
and Granite Falls. These communities formed
a joint board to develop a plan that they expect
to complete by July 2000.
Minnesota Planning provides a web site for the
pilot projects on the Internet
(www.cbp.state.mn.us). It is intended to help
them communicate with the public and each
other and includes such information as meeting
announcements, meeting summaries, draft
repons, and project contacts. The content of
the site is generated entirely by and for the
pilot projects.
In addition, Minnesota Planning will award
$375,000 for planning grants and $375,000 for
technology grants during fall 1998.
Planning Assistance Center now open
Minnesota Planning has set up a resource
center to assist with community-based
planning. Services include:
· Information and referrals
· State-level data and software
· Technical assistance
· Internet resources and links
· Reference materials on planning including
books, videos and periodicals
A planning guidebook will be completed in
early 1999.
Geographic information tools and training
A Minnesota Planning proposal to develop a
geographic information system tool kit for
local governments was recommended for
approval by the Legislative Commission on
Minnesota Resources. Working with local
governments, Minnesota Planning will develop
and package GIS software and statewide
geographic data into easy-to-use planning tool
kits. The tool kits, available to local
governments at no cost, will allow
communities to interpret state geographic data
and apply it to local planning. Development
will begin in July 1999; the tool kits and
training will be available in the second half of
2000.
How to ;let started
Minnesota Planning encourages communities
to begin the planning process whenever they
are ready. Contact the Local Planning
Assistance Team at Minnesota Planning to
receive more information.
Find the following information on the Internet
(www.mnplan.state.mn.us):
· Getting Started with Community-Based
Planning
· Pilot projects
· Planning and technology grants
· 11 statewide goals for community-based
planning
· Full text of the law that creates community-
based planning, plus 1998 legislative changes
· Directions for Community-Based Planning
· Refining the Framework
· Advisory council membership list