The League of Women Voters of Dakota County is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences policy through education and advocacy. We meet monthly and also host candidate forums, issue forums, and other events of interest to the community. Please attend one of our meetings or contact us for more information!
Updated: Jun 16, 2019
The featured speakers at our June 5 member/public meeting were Dakota County Commissioners Kathleen Gaylord (District 2) and Liz Workman (District 5). Thanks to the Commissioners for their participation! See the slides from the meeting and a brief video about Dakota County's planned SMART Center.
Dakota County is providing free travel training to help older adults and people with disabilities increase their mobility and independence. The training teaches individuals and groups about public and private transportation options and how to use them. The public is invited to attend a free one-hour forum to learn more about the training and how to use public and private transportation. The forums will be:
Tuesday, June 5, at 5 p.m., at Pleasant Hill Library in Hastings;
Wednesday, June 6, at 6 p.m., at Burnhaven Library in Burnsville;
Thursday, June 14, at 2 p.m. at Heritage Library in Lakeville; and
Monday, June 25, at 2 p.m., at the Dakota County Northern Service Center, Room 110.
For questions about the forums or to schedule a training session, contact Robyn at traveltraining@co.dakota.mn.us or 651-203-0183.
As expected, Gov. Dayton today vetoed SF 2809 which would have drastically altered the structure of the Metropolitan Council. Regardless of how Met Council members should be appointed or elected and the what the Council's structure ought to be, this bill was not an appropriate solution and failed to attract the support of many of the counties and municipalities that would be directly impacted.
Among other problems, the bill would have created conflicts of interest as members would have conflicting obligations to the Council and their county or municipality, the bill would have eliminated the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB), a well-functioning body that allows for deliberation and input on transportation funding for the metropolitan area by a range of entities and individuals, including locally elected officials, and there was minimal opportunity for public input on changes that would have had drastic impacts for the entire metro region. See Gov. Dayton's veto letter.
