In This Month's Issue:

• Street Sweeping
• New Body Camera Policy
• 13th Ward Neighborhood Boards Summit
• Save the Date: Palmisano Presents - Comprehensive Plan
• More Comprehensive Plan Dates
• Armatage Resurfacing Project
• 2018 Property Valuations
• Affordable Housing Pilot Program
• I-35W Portions Closing
• Low Cost Pet Vaccine Clinic - Sunday, May 6

Street Sweeping

Public Works crews are now out implementing the City’s comprehensive street sweeping program. Sweeping began this week, so drivers should watch for temporary “No Parking” signs to avoid a ticket and tow. The sweeping program lasts approximately four weeks, as crews care for more than 1,000 miles of city streets in addition to sweeping alleys. To make sure the crews can do the most complete job possible, temporary “No Parking” signs will be posted at least 24 hours in advance to make sure streets are clear of parked vehicles. Drivers need to follow street sweeping parking rules or they may have their cars ticketed and towed to the Minneapolis Impound Lot. Crews will post “No Parking” signs at least 24 hours before sweeping any streets. Parking will be banned from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the day a street is swept. The signs will be removed as soon as possible after a street has been completely swept to allow people to resume parking. Drivers should not park along these streets until these temporary signs are removed.   Minneapolis streets are swept completely curb to curb once in the spring and once in the fall.  Please do not push leaves, grass clippings, or anything else into City streets. It’s bad for our lakes and waterways, and it’s against the law. Anything that goes down a storm drain flows directly into our lakes, creeks and river, and decomposing plant material in the water encourages the growth of harmful aquatic plants and algae.

New Body Camera Policy

On Wednesday, April 4 the Minneapolis Police Department, after working extensively with the City’s Internal Audit Department via my direction as Audit Chair, released an update to their body worn camera policy. This policy was updated based on statutory requirements, and to provide additional clarity regarding camera activation and operation and oversight of the body worn camera program.

Under this new policy, officers who violate the rules can face discipline. This can range from a 40-hour suspension for failing to activate cameras as required, to termination for prematurely turning the devices off, particularly in cases involving use of force.

The MPD will also debut a new online tool this spring, which will allow users to track how often officers activate their cameras while on duty. MPD leadership commits to updating these statistics daily.

We are already starting to see the benefits of this updated policy and our continued work to improve the body worn camera usage. For comparison, required activation of body camera video has increased from 55% in February 2018 to 81% in April 2018. In addition, in the week immediately following implementation of the new body camera policy, only 5% of videos did not have a case number or an incorrect case number, which is a major improvement from the previously reported 30% of videos at the end of 2017.

13th Ward Neighborhood Boards Summit

On Wednesday April 18 the 13th Ward Office hosted the second ever 13th Ward Summit. Neighborhood Association board members and coordinators came together to discuss and share a variety of topics and events happening across our SW  neighborhoods. We were joined by Long Range Planning Director Heather Worthington. Director Worthington has been the face of the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan and provided a presentation and Q&A session for those in attendance. She explained the process for how the plan was crafted, how best to provide feedback on it and the role that neighborhoods and leaders have on impacting the plan. We were also provided a update from Neighborhoods and Community Engagement Commissioner Dennis Houle on the status of Minneapolis 2020. This Neighborhood specific roadmap from the city is vital for determining policy recommendations for the future role of neighborhood organizations. The roadmap is a document intended for public feedback. The intent of this summit was to provide our neighborhood leaders an opportunity to learn more about these topics so that they may better organize within their communities around them. For more information on either of these plans please click here for the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan and here for the Minneapolis 2020 neighborhoods plan.

Save the Date: Palmisano Presents - Comprehensive Plan

On Wednesday 5/23 the 13th Ward Office will be hosting a forum at the SouthWest High School Commons Area, dedicated to discussing the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan. We will be joined by the Director of Long Range Planning, Heather Worthington. Heather will give a brief presentation on how the plan was designed, how feedback is being taken and used, and answer questions from the community. Stay on the lookout for a survey we will be sending out for your input on what you would like to see on the agenda for this event. We used this format to create the agenda for our Neighborhood Board Summit which led to great conversations and prepared presentations. We appreciate everyone's input. If you haven't seen the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan click here to see what is being proposed for the city.

More Comprehensive Plan Dates

Can't make our May 23rd event to discuss the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan? Don't worry there are several more opportunities to get involved and comment. The Long Range Planning Department will be hosting five different interactive open houses. Each event will feature the same family-friendly activities created by local artists, as well as free food from local businesses. Throughout the event, you can view and comment on draft policies and maps that are intended to achieve the plan goals. You will also have the opportunity to sit down with city planners and fellow attendees for in-depth discussions on specific action steps listed in the draft plan.

Saturday, May 12, 2018
10:00am‐12:30pm
Northeast Recreation Center, 1530 Johnson St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413 

Monday, May 14, 2018
5:30pm‐8:00pm
MLK Recreation Center, 4055 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55409 

Wednesday, May 16, 2018
5:30pm‐8:00pm
North Commons Recreation Center, 1801 N James Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55411 

Thursday, May 17, 2018
5:30pm‐8:00pm
Dayton YMCA at Gaviidae Common, 651 Nicollet Mall #300, Minneapolis, MN 55402 

Thursday, May 31, 2018
5:30pm‐8:00pm
Powderhorn Recreation Center, 3400 S 15th Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407

Can’t attend one of the meetings? 

• The complete draft plan is available at minneapolis2040.com, with opportunities for comment throughout the site. Learn more about ways to comment online here.
• Follow us on Twitter @Mpls2040
• Sign up for our email list 
• Download the Meeting-in-a-Box tool kit (available for download mid-May) to host your own engagement meetings and report back 

Armatage Resurfacing Project

Earlier this week the Transportation and Public Works Committee approved a street resurfacing project for the Armatage neighborhood. This project has been slated for the this year but no set start date has been determined. There will be some private utility work done on the streets in the neighborhood during the spring and early summer, so Public Works aims for a late summer or early fall start time.

We are aware that 60th St. W is not included in this current resurfacing project despite fully recognizing the poor condition that road is in. The reason for this is 60th Street West carries more and different types of traffic than the adjacent residential streets in the Armatage paving area. As such, this street’s condition is poorer than surrounding streets and requires full reconstruction, instead of simple resurfacing treatment in 2018. Public Works has evaluated the condition and age of 60th Street West, which included a site visit earlier this Spring to assess condition on site. Based upon this evaluation and previous recommendations from the 20 Year Streets Funding Plan, Public Works is still recommending future reconstruction of the stretch of 60th/Sunrise/58th between Xerxes Ave S and Lyndale Ave S.

A timeline has not yet been determined for the funding of this work, however Public Works has identified this street as an “on-deck” project for the City’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Public Works evaluates street conditions (e.g., pavements distresses, curb & gutter, drainage, rideability, sidewalks, etc.) to determine if adjustments are needed to update annual CIP recommendations, specifically projects that are candidates for future funding.

For more information on the Capital Improvement Program follow the link here.

2018 Property Valuations

As reported in the Star Tribune, the City of Minneapolis had a record number of households appeal the City’s 2018 assessed valuations of their properties. Almost 1,400 households filed to have their valuations reassessed. I encouraged 13th Ward residents who found issue with their assessments to appeal and am happy to see so many individuals use their ability to engage with the system. For context on how the 13th Ward compared to the rest of the city, here is a map indicating the total number of appeals per Ward. As you can see our Ward had the most number of appeals but were also not alone in asking the City to re-evaluate their assessments. Additional information that I have shared with local residents and a little more on how it compares to the rest of the city can be found here.

Affordable Housing Pilot Program

Last Friday the City Council approved a robust package of incentives for rental property owners to reduce property tax liability, improve energy efficiency and, if present, address conditions of aging buildings. The goal of this program is to preserve affordability, reduce energy use and enhance healthy homes in a way that strengthens the bottom line for property owners. Qualified building owners that agreed to keep at least 20% of the units affordable at 60% area median rents and incomes for ten years were eligible for this program. We are pleased to announce that 13th Ward landlords applied for this program and will help grow it in the coming years as we help to preserve our naturally occurring affordable housing.

I-35W Portions Closing

The Minnesota Department of Transportation will be conducting major construction on Interstate 35W that is expected to last through the end of 2021. The MNDOT is reporting that major portions will be closing, including exits connecting I-35W to Downtown Minneapolis. To learn more visit the MNDOT website here, or call the hotline at (612) 284-6125 or email info@35w94.com.

Low Cost Pet Vaccine Clinic - Sunday, May 6

Minneapolis residents have the opportunity to bring in their pets for low-cost vaccinations May 6. The City is offering vaccines for rabies, feline distemper vaccine, canine distemper vaccine, and microchipping for $10 each or $25 for all three. 2-5 p.m. Sunday, May 6 Fire Station 21, 3209 E. 38th St. All dogs must be on a leash, all cats must be in a carrier. Must have a valid ID and/or proof of Minneapolis residency to participate. Visit www.minneapolismn.gov/animals to learn more.