Minnesota Local Government Roundtable Water Management WORKPLAN
Introduction
The Minnesota Local Government Roundtable is an affiliation of three of Minnesota’s key local government players, the Association of Minnesota Counties, the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and the Minnesota Association of Watershed Districts in the planning and preservation of our state’s land and water resources. The three organizations have chosen to work together to improve communication and understanding of the roles and responsibilities that we share in this vital task. Our shared vision is to manage land and water resources in such ways as to effectively balance the sometimes competing interests of habitat, water quality, water quantity, and resource utilization. Our organizations and our members are committed to collaborative efforts with the intent of increasing efficiencies and effectiveness among organizations that share goals, objectives, and responsibilities. The Board of Water and Soil Resources has agreed to facilitate the Roundtable and participate as a program advisor.
Goal
To provide consensus recommendations to our members and state policy makers on how to redesign water management in Minnesota to be more efficient and effective in accordance with the economic realities of our state and nation and the accompanying pressures on state and local resources.
Work Products
Over the past several years local government has been asked by the legislature to do more with less. Unfortunately, that premise no longer holds up considering the long history of budget reductions by the state this decade and projected decreasing revenues while regulations, mandates and requirements continue to increase. The legislature is now asking us to make recommendations to them on how we can increase efficiencies and our effectiveness in local government water management.
This process will result in a policy framework for local and state policy makers to consider that will allow local governments to be more efficient and effective in delivering high quality water management in Minnesota. The framework will outline issues that must be addressed to established greater efficiency and effectiveness in water management, along with recommendations for addressing those issues. We will also reevaluate programs that may need to change by either limiting their scope or eliminating them altogether. Issues will be grouped into two categories:
1) those that require legislative action and
2) those that can be addressed through other actions.
Stakeholder Groups
Local Government Roundtable (12)
Roundtable Advisory Committee (30)
Local Governments (Summit Group)
The policy work group will be the Local Government Roundtable (LGR). It will consist of up to four members from each local government group (Counties, SWCDs, and Watershed Districts). The Roundtable Advisory Committee (RAC) will convene to assist the LGR to explore policy issues and make and prioritize recommendations and as directed by the LGR. Local Governments will be heard through their normal policy processes.
The LGR will develop a process for prioritization as well as ongoing input and feedback from the RAC, local governments and the public. These should be done by electronic means when possible.
Timelines
The initial work product will be brought to the legislature by March 1, 2011 for review and comment. Additional implementation work products will be brought to the legislature by March 1, 2012.
The Minnesota Local Government Roundtable is an affiliation of three of Minnesota’s key local government players, the Association of Minnesota Counties, the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and the Minnesota Association of Watershed Districts in the planning and preservation of our state’s land and water resources. The three organizations have chosen to work together to improve communication and understanding of the roles and responsibilities that we share in this vital task. Our shared vision is to manage land and water resources in such ways as to effectively balance the sometimes competing interests of habitat, water quality, water quantity, and resource utilization. Our organizations and our members are committed to collaborative efforts with the intent of increasing efficiencies and effectiveness among organizations that share goals, objectives, and responsibilities. The Board of Water and Soil Resources has agreed to facilitate the Roundtable and participate as a program advisor.
Goal
Work Products
Over the past several years local government has been asked by the legislature to do more with less. Unfortunately, that premise no longer holds up considering the long history of budget reductions by the state this decade and projected decreasing revenues while regulations, mandates and requirements continue to increase. The legislature is now asking us to make recommendations to them on how we can increase efficiencies and our effectiveness in local government water management.
This process will result in a policy framework for local and state policy makers to consider that will allow local governments to be more efficient and effective in delivering high quality water management in Minnesota. The framework will outline issues that must be addressed to established greater efficiency and effectiveness in water management, along with recommendations for addressing those issues. We will also reevaluate programs that may need to change by either limiting their scope or eliminating them altogether. Issues will be grouped into two categories:
2) those that can be addressed through other actions.
Stakeholder Groups
Local Government Roundtable (12)
Roundtable Advisory Committee (30)
Local Governments (Summit Group)
The policy work group will be the Local Government Roundtable (LGR). It will consist of up to four members from each local government group (Counties, SWCDs, and Watershed Districts). The Roundtable Advisory Committee (RAC) will convene to assist the LGR to explore policy issues and make and prioritize recommendations and as directed by the LGR. Local Governments will be heard through their normal policy processes.
The LGR will develop a process for prioritization as well as ongoing input and feedback from the RAC, local governments and the public. These should be done by electronic means when possible.
Timelines
The initial work product will be brought to the legislature by March 1, 2011 for review and comment. Additional implementation work products will be brought to the legislature by March 1, 2012.
