Northfield Transportation Advisory Committee Meeting Date: January 21, 2026
To: Members of the Northfield Transportation Advisory Committee
From: David Bennett, Public Works Director/City Engineer
Title
Consider motion for City Council to approve Resolution Supporting Further Exploration of Southeast Minnesota Transit Management Organization Feasibility Study.
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield Transportation Advisory Committee passes a motion recommending council approves Resolution Supporting Further Exploration of Southeast Minnesota Transit Management Organization Feasibility Study.
Summary Report:
At the July 2025 NTAC meeting, SE MN Together Mike Thorsteinson, Joel Young with (CEDA), and Ulla Hester with Alta Planning shared that they have a grant for a SE MN TMO study. The goal of the study is to advance transit systems, service, and facilities across the 11-county SE MN and determine if a Transit Management Organization will meet the region's needs.
The Study goals aimed to "determine an organizational structure that can deliver resources to address the region's transportation needs related to workforce transportation, access to healthcare and education, access to services, and quality of life".
To achieve that goal, the project team set the following study parameters:
* Build on and advance the region's successful transit systems, services, and facilities.
* Engage with leaders throughout the 11-county area to affirm the TMO approach meets regional needs and priorities.
* Identify barriers, gaps, redundancies and efficiencies in the region's transit, mobility, and ridesharing services.
* Coordinate with and complement the regional transportation coordinating council efforts in Region 10.
In order for a TMO to be successful, it is necessary to identify the challenges that currently exist and understand how a TMO could address those challenges along with the financial sustainability of a regional TMO. The Study identified these items as...
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