The Twin Cities public transit system is "fraught with distrust" as feuding bureaucracies fail to set priorities in the best interests of the public, the Legislative Auditor reported Friday.
The unusually blunt report lays most of the blame on the Metropolitan Council, an appointed group that oversees regional transit, saying it "lacks adequate credibility and accountability."
While daily operations of the Twin Cities bus and rail transit are among the more efficient and reliable in the nation, Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles said, the bureaucracies have deprived the Twin Cities of a well-planned transit system.
"There is no agreed-upon way to determine which projects are best for the region," audit manager Judy Randall told a legislative commission that heard the findings. "There's widespread belief that the next transit way to be developed is the one that is ready next, or the one that has the most political capital behind it, not necessarily the one based on ridership projections."
Nobles added, "Reform is needed. Reform will not be easy to accomplish."
The audit recommended improving accountability of the Met Council by having a mix of appointed members and elected local officials. Currently, the governor appoints all of the members.
Susan Haigh, Gov. Mark Dayton's newly appointed Metropolitan Council chair, defended her agency and disputed some of the audit findings.
"The credibility issue is a little overstated," she told legislators. In a written response to the audit, she said, "This concern appears to come from a few agencies with scopes and priorities that may differ from those of the council." She said the recommendations "require further study and broader discussion."