Policy Committee Meeting on Connected and Automated Vehicles - August 19, 2026
Policy Committee Meeting on Connected and Automated Vehicles - August 19, 2026
The Saint Paul City Council's Policy Committee convened on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at 1:00 PM in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Vice Chair Saura Jost chaired the meeting in the absence of Council President Amy Brendmoen. The sole agenda item was a presentation from the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) on connected and automated vehicles (AVs). The presenters were Tara Olds, Director of Connected and Automated Vehicles at MnDOT, and Thomas Johnson Kaiser, Policy and Planning Manager in the same office. The discussion covered AV definitions, current state and federal policy, workforce impacts, and considerations for local governments.
Discussion Items
- AV Overview and Potential Benefits: Tara Olds explained that AVs are vehicles that take over human driving tasks, ranging from Level 0 (no automation) to Level 5 (full automation). She noted that currently no vehicle sold in Minnesota exceeds Level 2 (driver must remain engaged). Potential benefits include improved safety (over 400 annual fatalities on Minnesota roads, with human factors involved in >90% of crashes), increased accessibility for those underserved by current transportation, and economic growth from innovation. She emphasized that these benefits are not guaranteed and require appropriate government policy.
- MnDOT AV Demonstration Projects: Olds described three projects: the MedCity Mover (Rochester, 2021-2022, low-speed shuttle in a multimodal downtown), Bear Tracks (White Bear Lake, 2022-2023, suburban environment), and GoMarty (Grand Rapids, 2022-present, on-demand service using Toyota Sienas with wheelchair accessibility). All projects still required a human behind the wheel. The GoMarty project is funded through 2028 under a federal ATTAIN grant. Olds noted that low-speed shuttles in mixed traffic created chaos, but on-demand service proved valuable.
- Current AV Operations and Mapping: Olds stated that Waymo, a driverless robotaxi company, began mapping in the Twin Cities metro area in November 2025 with approximately 12 vehicles. Other AV companies (e.g., Zooks, Motional, Kodiak) are primarily testing in the southwestern U.S. due to favorable weather and regulatory frameworks.
- State Policy Landscape: Thomas Johnson Kaiser explained that Minnesota is one of a handful of states with no specific laws or regulations authorizing or prohibiting fully automated vehicles (no driver). The Governor's Advisory Council on Connected and Automated Vehicles, established in 2018 and reappointed by Governor Walz, has been working on policy recommendations since 2024. During the 2026 legislative session, multiple bills were introduced but none passed. Topics included workforce impacts, data reporting, permitting, and a task force for further study. Kaiser noted that most states with AV regulations preempt local regulation.
- Safety and Data: Responding to Councilmember Molly Coleman's question, Kaiser cited a recent IIHS study finding Waymo had 68% fewer crashes compared to human drivers in similar situations (data through 2024). However, he acknowledged challenges such as vehicles operating empty (deadheading). Olds added that every media incident should be compared to human driver errors.
- Workforce Impacts: Councilmember Nelsie Yang asked about the net effect on jobs. Olds stated that impacts are unclear: jobs lost (drivers, delivery, transit, TNC operators) versus jobs created (AV maintenance, remote assistance, attendant roles). Data is limited and varies by city. MnDOT is partnering with the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to prepare. Councilmember Anika Bowie raised concerns about impacts on East African taxi and for-hire drivers in Saint Paul. Olds confirmed the council includes a Teamsters representative and has engaged SEIU, the Minnesota Uber Lyft Drivers Association, and others. She noted that labor perspectives vary.
- Local Government Role and Saint Paul Representation: Councilmember Bowie asked about representation on the Governor's Advisory Council. Olds replied that Minneapolis staff are members, and the League of Minnesota Cities and a county representative serve as ex-officio, but no one from Saint Paul currently sits on the council. Olds noted that city-level concerns (zoning, curb management, TNC business operations) may be appropriate for local regulation, but most other states preempt local AV rules. She invited Saint Paul to participate in the upcoming CAV summit.
- Legislative Platform for 2027: Councilmember HwaJeong Kim suggested that the council consider including AV policy in the city's 2027 legislative priorities, given that stronger enforcement mechanisms may come from the state level. Vice Chair Jost agreed that knowing which bills are returning would help shape the platform.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes or decisions were taken; the meeting was informational.
- The presenters provided links to resources: state-level policy themes packet, one-page overviews, and the Governor's Council recommendations.
- The meeting adjourned at approximately 2:50 PM, four minutes early.
Meeting Transcript
Roll call, please. Ward one, Councilmember Bowie. Ward two, Council President Acre. Ward three, Councilmember Jost. Four. Council Member Coleman. Here. Five. Councilmember Kim. Here. Ward six. Councilmember Yang. Ward seven. Councilmember Johnson. Here. Seeing five absent. Or seeing five present, two absent. Um, Council President Acre is excused. Thank you. Uh we are gonna have a robust conversation about connected and automated vehicles. I'm really excited to have Tara Olds and Thomas Johnson Kaiser with us. So uh welcome. Uh we have several members of the council here. We're excited for your presentation. We know you've been working with our council president's office, who is the chair, and I'm the vice chair of the policy committee. So welcome, and in her absence, I'll be chairing the meeting and moving us through and trying to keep us to the time time time frame that you've been given. So welcome. Thank you very much, and thank you, Council members. My name is Tara Olds. I'm the director of connected automated vehicles at the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Um my colleague is uh Thomas Johnson Kaiser, and I'll let him introduce himself as well, real quick. Good afternoon, Council members. Uh Thomas Johnson Kaiser, I'm the policy and playing manager in our connected and automated vehicle office at MINDAP. So thank you for inviting us to have a conversation today. Uh we're going to give a little overview about automated vehicles, make sure that we're all on the same page of what we're talking about, what they are. Talk a little bit about what some of the conversations have been about policy both at the state and federal level, uh, and then answer any questions that you all have. So I will note if you guys have questions that while we are speaking. I welcome them unless you guys would like to wait till the end, so feel free to tell us how you want to do that as we go. Um I also want to just note that nothing we present today is intended to be formal recommendations for city or state regarding policy. So please note that all right. So before we dive into what are automated vehicles, I like to start with why are we even talking about automated vehicles? So um, we do believe that automated vehicles are a future of transportation system. We know that there's aspects of transportation that already incorporate technology like this, and we're seeing them more and more around the country as well as uh in the United States and even in the Midwest. Um with that being said, a lot of the areas that we often focus on about automated vehicles are safety, increased accessibility, economic growth, and then really just looking at how we can be a part of the conversation with innovation. And those potential benefits we talk about are not guarantees. Really think that's important to emphasize. We believe that these are great opportunities that if we uh see the technology actually get implemented into our system effectively and appropriately, that we might actually see these. And these are all things I think we all can strive for. But with that, I want to also acknowledge that I think government has a role to play in ensuring that these goals are realized. If left to industry alone, this isn't always what's gonna make their bottom line, so we have to make sure that we get the right policies and programs and projects in place to help see that.
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