In This Month's Issue:

• Share Your Feedback on Proposed 2020 City budget at Public Hearings, Online
• Street Sweeping is Underway
• Leaf and Bundled Brush Collection Ends the Week of Nov. 18
• Now Accepting Applications for the Futura Latino Empowerment Commission
• Submit Input on METRO Orange Line Connecting Bus Study
• Pumpkins go in your Organics recycling bin!
• Census Jobs Available Now
• Change your smoke alarm batteries when you change your clocks Nov. 3

Share Your Feedback on Proposed 2020 City budget at Public Hearings, Online

There are three upcoming public hearings for people to share thoughts on Mayor Jacob Frey’s recommended 2020 City budget. Comments can also be submitted online.

Budget public hearings at City Hall:

• Nov 7^th at 9:30am: This is a daytime public hearing, intended to get input on the Mayor’s recommended budget choices. Think of it as a check-in before we do anything to this budget.
• Dec 4^th at 6pm: This is the official annual “Truth in Taxation” hearing, it is intended to get community input on the total levy amount.  Of course, where the public chooses to weigh in is their own discretion. But officially that is the purpose and that is how it’s communicated from the county and our Assessor’s office.
•  Dec 11^th at 6pm: The intent is for the public to respond to Council’s amendments, for Council to make any further changes based on that, and then to adopt the 2020 budget.

Comments submitted online will enter the public record and be shared with the Mayor and Council Members. The City Council is scheduled to vote on adopting the budget Wednesday, Dec. 11.

The mayor’s recommended 2020 budget is $1.6 Billion. The City’s revenues come from a variety of sources with property taxes accounting for about 23% of the budget.

Visit the City’s budget website to learn more about the budget and key dates and watch a video about how to participate in the budget process. You can also watch budget hearings on Minneapolis City Council TV. Tune to SD channel 14 or HD channel 799 on Comcast or SD channel 8001 or HD channel 8501 on CenturyLink. You can also watch archived meetings on the City of Minneapolis YouTube channel.

Street Sweeping is Underway

Last week Minneapolis Public Works began the big task of curb-to-curb sweeping and leaf collection on streets throughout the city. During this four-week, comprehensive sweep, crews will clean about 1,000 miles of city streets. Thank  you for moving cars so that we can do a complete sweep on our streets this fall!

This work will begin with five separate crews across our Street Department districts at the same time, and it will take 18 working days to cover the entire city.  Each district may alternate a few routes each year, however, they must also take into consideration those areas where the most leaves have fallen, or where there are fewer trees in their scheduling of routes. 

Posting of “No Parking” signs in conjunction with this work will be done in the following manner:

1. All posting will be done in the morning of the day prior to the actual sweeping.  In order to be in compliance with legislative rules, the time that posting occurs on any individual street will be recorded and any required enforcement will be coordinated to ensure that a minimum of 24 hours notice has been given.
2. Signs will be removed on the same day as the sweeping occurs, and as soon as is possible following the completion of the sweeping.  People should not resume parking until the signs are removed, even if they think the sweeping may be complete.
3. Business and commercial areas will be given a priority each day so as to restore critically needed parking as soon as possible.
4. Signs will specify the day of week and will read: "No Parking   7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m."
5. We are requesting that enforcement and towing begin at 8:00 a.m. and be followed by sweeping 30-45 minutes later.  This should allow for the maximum amount of voluntary compliance and minimize the number of complaints received from the public.

Anyone who parks on the street will need to follow posted parking rules or their cars may be ticketed and towed. Folks can use a feature on the City’s website to find out when the sweepers are coming through their neighborhoods. www.minneapolismn.gov/streetsweeping

Clean streets mean a healthier environment

Minneapolis is known for its beautiful lakes and waterways, and we want to keep it that way. That’s why protecting and enhancing our environment is one of the City’s top priorities. 

City Ordinance prohibits the raking of leaves into the street.  When residents rake into the street it can create various problems. They immediately begin to release nutrients that can negatively impact water quality in our lakes and streams.They can create a fire hazard when cars park in them. They become slippery when wet and can cause falls as well as car accidents. If they are raked out after the sweeping has been done, they will remain there all winter. Especially important- they plug drains if it rains or come spring when we need water to flow.

Leaves from yards and boulevards should be prepared for collection according to Minneapolis yard waste guidelines.

Please note that the typical leaf drop occurs over many weeks, and it is impossible for us to remove all the leaves from the street during fall sweeping.  We hope to get as many as we can, but we can’t wait until they are all down, otherwise we face an increasing risk of freezing conditions and snowfall.  For leaves that fall after we have gone through a street, we would appreciate any help from the public to collect those leaves and dispose of them with their yard and boulevard leaves.  Weather permitting, our main mission of sweeping and cleaning all the streets of the summer’s accumulation of debris will be met, but the success of our secondary mission of leaf collection is Mother Nature dependent.  We may be able to perform some follow-up sweeping at the end, but there is no guarantee.

We will be utilizing our community notification voice messaging system to send telephone alerts to residents whose streets are scheduled to be swept the next day.  Also, the web site features the Street Sweeping Schedule Lookup where people can see the sweeping schedule online to learn exactly when their street is scheduled for cleaning.  This is a very handy tool for you to use as well when helping callers.  The site is now showing the 2019 Fall schedule.

Please help us remind citizens that they are always responsible to be aware of any and all parking restrictions, and move their vehicles when needed.

Questions and/or concerns may also be referred to the Street Maintenance Department at 673-5720, or to the individual District Supervisors as shown on the attached map.

Leaf and Bundled Brush Collection Ends the Week of Nov. 18

Garbage day in the week of Nov. 18 is the last 2019 collection for leaves, brush and other yard trimmings. Minneapolis Solid Waste & Recycling customers can set properly prepared yard waste at their alleys or curbs next to their garbage carts by 6 a.m. on garbage day. Yard waste must be in compostable bags – paper (Kraft) or compostable plastic – or unbagged in a reusable container 26-32 inches high, no more than 26 inches wide, with sturdy handles. Reusable containers are lifted and emptied by hand; they must be easily managed. Yard waste is not allowed in City-provided containers. Preparing yard trimmings and leaves Less than 40 pounds. Preparing brush Less than 40 pounds. Less than 3 feet long. Branch size less than 3 inches in diameter. Must be bundled with string or twine (no wire or tape). Reusable containers Less than 40 pounds full. Between 26 and 32 inches high. No more than 26 inches in diameter. Must have sturdy handles. Which bags can be used in the program? Compostable plastic bags labeled with the BPI logo. Paper (Kraft) bags. Bags marked “biodegradable” or “degradable” do not meet the State law and are not accepted. It’s against the law and bad for our lakes to rake leaves into the street. Anyone who has questions about leaf and brush pickup can call 612-673-2917 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. People can also find more information here.

Now Accepting Applications for the Futura Latino Empowerment Commission

The Futuro Latino Empowerment Commission is the newest advisory body created by the City of Minneapolis to advise the Mayor, City Council, and City Departments on important issues facing the Latino community. The commission will be responsible for developing the Latino Agenda to build awareness of the needs of the Latino community in Minneapolis and help address City policies and programs, such as:

▪ Affordable housing

▪ Economic development and cultural districts

▪ Protecting immigrant communities and workers

▪ Providing safety to Latino residents

▪ Advancing environmental justice

▪ Advocating for equitable transportation ¡Te necesitamos! (We need you!)

Submit an application by November 27, 2019, at minneapolismn.gov/boards.

For more information: Mariano Espinoza (612) 673-2272 mariano.espinoza@minneapolismn.gov.

Submit Input on METRO Orange Line Connecting Bus Study

Metro Transit is beginning work on a Connecting Bus Study for the METRO Orange Line. This study will inform the bus service planning in the I-35W corridor area in south Minneapolis, Richfield, Bloomington, and Edina. Metro Transit's goal is to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of transit service in the area and to provide strong route connections to the Orange Line bus rapid transit service coming to I-35W in late 2021. Survey Please take and share the online survey to provide information about your travel needs in the corridor. Metro Transit will use this anonymously collected data to help develop initial service recommendations. This survey is open through November 30, 2019. Attend an Open House Wednesday, Nov. 6, 4-6 p.m. at Woodlake Nature Center   6710 Lake Shore Dr. S., Richfield Served by Routes 4, 515, 558 Thursday, Nov. 7, 4-6 p.m. at Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Recreation Center 4055 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis Served by Route 18 Thursday, Nov. 14, 4:30-6:30 p.m. at VEAP-Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People 9600 Aldrich Ave. S., Bloomington Served by Routes 18 & 535 Email Us If you would like to receive project updates or pass along your comments, please e-mail Metro Transit at service.development@metrotransit.org. Connecting Bus Study updates will also be provided through the Orange Line e-newsletter. Information about the study is now available on Metro Transit's website at www.metrotransit.org/metro-orange-line-connecting-bus-service.

Pumpkins go in your Organics recycling bin!

When you’re done with your carved pumpkins and other gourds, you can put them in your green organics recycling cart. They don’t need to be bagged.

If you haven’t signed up for organics recycling, (click here to do so) you can dispose of pumpkins with your other yard waste. Added synthetic materials such as paint, glitter or jewels make pumpkins non-compostable, and then they must be disposed of as garbage.

Remember: Wrappers from Halloween candy go in the garbage. They are not recyclable or compostable. 

Census Jobs Available Now

U.S. Census jobs are still available for folks to help ensure every person in our state is counted in the 2020 census. The U.S. Census Bureau is seeking community members to work temporary part-time positions to help with the 2020 census count. These positions have flexible hours, which makes them a perfect fit for people who have other commitments but are open to earning a little extra money. The pay rate in Hennepin County is $20 per hour. Counting every person in Minnesota is necessary to fully benefit from political representation and valuable funding over the next 10 years. Find more information here.

Change your smoke alarm batteries when you change your clocks Nov. 3

Daylight saving time ends Sunday, Nov. 3. When you set your clocks back one hour, it’s a good time to put fresh batteries in your home smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, more than half of all home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

Simple home fire safety tips:

• When you change your clocks, change the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. This can help save your family’s lives.
• Test your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors monthly to make sure they are working.
• Have at least one working smoke alarm on each level of your home. Minnesota law requires every home to have at least one smoke alarm per level. In new construction, a smoke alarm must be installed in each sleeping room and in a point centrally located in the corridor. These alarms must be interconnected.
• Plan, discuss and practice an escape route with your family for dangerous situations such as home fires, carbon monoxide leaks and natural disasters.
• Do not ignore the chirping sound your smoke alarm makes; it means that the battery or the detector itself needs replacing.

Carbon monoxide detectors are not substitutes for smoke alarms and should be placed within 10 feet of every bedroom.