Local Planning Assistance Grants

Investing in planning that builds on community strengths
The Met Council recognizes that updating local comprehensive plans requires significant time, knowledge, and resources from municipal partners. This burden often falls most heavily on the region’s least populous communities. The Met Council is offering direct funding assistance to support the region’s smallest and resource-limited communities with their Imagine 2050 Comprehensive Plan updates.

Sixty-four individual communities, Scott County and Carver County, and one consortium of five or more rural service area communities in Dakota County have been identified as eligible for planning assistance grants, at the following base funding levels:
  • 60 sewered communities - $40,000 each
  • 4 unsewered communities - $25,000 each
  • Scott County, Carver County, and Consortium = $110,000 each 
Grant eligible communities are identified on this map and list.
 
In addition to the base-level funding, grantee communities are eligible for two opt-in incentive grants:
  • Early Plan Submission - $4,000
  • Advancing Regional Goals - $10,000 
Information about and criteria to qualify for the incentive grants will be provided in early 2026.
 
Eligible communities will receive more information about the Comprehensive Planning Assistance Grants Program and how to sign up to participate in early 2026.

The Comprehensive Planning Assistance Grants Program provides direct funding assistance to support a subset of communities in the region with 2050 Comprehensive Plan updates. 

Eligible communities for the non-competitive grants were identified based on selection criteria adopted by the Met Council. The criteria aimed at selecting communities in the region with a greater need for assistance to fund and manage a Comprehensive Plan update. The two criteria used in estimating need were current population and adjusted net tax capacity per capita of the community compared to the metro median. 

Communities eligible for a 2050 Comprehensive Planning assistance grant meet one of the following three criteria: 

  1. Current population (2024) is between 2,500 to 14,999 AND adjusted net tax capacity per capita (2024) is less than or equal to 125% of metro median net tax capacity per capita; or  

  1. Current population (2024) is between 15,000 to 35,000 AND adjusted net tax capacity per capita (2024) is less than or equal to 100% of metro median net tax capacity per capita; or  

  1. County with land use planning authority for townships within their jurisdiction OR a consortium of 5 or more Dakota County communities in the Rural Service Area working collaboratively on their comprehensive plan updates.   

Under these criteria, a total of 64 individual communities, 2 counties, and 1 consortium group are eligible for planning assistance grants.  

Communities eligible for planning assistance grants are identified on this list and map. 

Merritt Clapp-Smith
Planning Analyst, Local Planning Assistance
651.602.1567
[email protected]