Share your opinions on transforming community safety by Nov. 20 with this quick survey
Minneapolis community, please provide your input on what community safety looks like and tell us your ideas about a new model of community safety for the City. You can take the survey in English, Spanish, Somali, Hmong or Oromo.
Complete the survey by Nov. 20 for the first phase of survey results. Input provided after Nov. 20 may continue to be used for future engagement phases.
In June 2020, the City Council pledged to create a new model of community safety. As part of that, we committed to a yearlong process of community engagement. This survey is one of the first steps in that process. Through the survey, you can share your vision for a new community safety model. You can also provide ideas for how to accomplish that new model.
Results from the survey will be used to help create recommendations for elected leaders and to help guide the City’s next steps for community engagement.
This survey includes some questions similar to other recent City surveys. That includes questions about alternative responses to mental health crises and non-emergency crimes. Any input you already provided on those surveys is valued and will still be used as planned. Recommendations will also be considered as part of this broader focus on transforming community safety.
Take the survey
Take the survey and share it with your community:
You can also check back to stay up to date on progress and more opportunities to provide input.
There are three upcoming online public hearings for people to share thoughts on Mayor Jacob Frey’s recommended 2021 City Budget. You can also submit comments online at the City’s website.
Online public hearings
- 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 16
- 6:05 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2
- 6:05 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9
Learn how to participate in online public hearings.
Comments submitted online will be entered into the public record and shared with the mayor and council members. The City Council is scheduled to vote on adopting the budget on Wednesday, Dec. 9.
Mayor Jacob Frey’s proposed $1.5 billion budget calls for a 5.75% maximum levy increase. With a 12% increase in the overall tax base growth, three-quarters of Minneapolis residential property owners will see a decrease in their property tax bills with the median-valued household set to experience a $59 yearly decrease.
Visit the City’s website to learn more about the mayor’s recommended budget, key dates in the approval process, FAQs and more. You can also watch a series of videos on the City’s budget process.
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 On Nov. 13 at 10 p.m., new statewide restrictions will go into effect to limit social gatherings, celebrations and the operations of bars, restaurants and event venues to combat the dangerous spike in COVID-19 cases that has occurred this fall. Some of these changes include:
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Bar counter service: No seating or service at the bar or counter, unless the business only offers service at the counter.
- For businesses that only offer service at the counter, customers may line up with a mask, staying six feet apart and then return to their seat.
- Bar games that require standing are not permitted.
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Indoor and outdoor capacity: 150-person limit. Customers must not exceed 50% of total capacity. All customers must be seated at tables.
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Dine-in hours: Dine-in service must close between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. Businesses may remain open for takeout and delivery.
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Social gatherings: Gatherings must not exceed 10 people for both indoor and outdoor settings and are limited to members of only three households or less, including the host.
Additional limitations on celebrations, including wedding receptions, will go into effect soon afterwards.
- Starting Nov. 27, celebrations must end by 10 p.m. and have no more than 50 attendees. The time restriction ends at 4 a.m.
- Starting Dec. 11, celebrations must have fewer than 25 attendees. This does not apply to the actual wedding, funeral or similar planned ceremony, only the reception or celebration that accompanies the ceremony.
- Read more at staysafe.mn.gov.
Watch Governor Walz's Nov. 10 video announcing new COVID-19 prevention measures
Significant Expansion in Statewide COVID-19 Testing Access
On Nov. 10, Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan announced a significant expansion in COVID-19 testing access, with the addition of more than a dozen new testing locations opening across the state over the next two weeks. All of the new testing sites will continue to offer free, “no barrier” COVID-19 testing. Testing will be free and available to anyone who wants to be tested whether they have symptoms or not, and it will not require insurance. Read more.
Find free COVID-19 tests and flu shots; help stop the spread
The City of Minneapolis is offering free COVID-19 tests and flu shots. Testing is encouraged and available to everyone, whether or not they have symptoms. Testing is one of the best ways to stop the spread of COVID-19 and help prevent exposing your loved ones to the virus. Find a current list of free COVID-19 tests and flu shots on the City website.
Read more.
Home testing
Minnesota and Vault Medical Services have teamed up to offer at-home saliva testing for everyone at no cost. Go to Vault: No-Cost COVID Testing For All Minnesotans to order a test. Read more. Other languages:
Assistance for past due housing costs
The COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program from Minnesota Housing has funds available for a limited time to help eligible Minnesotans cover past due housing costs like rent, mortgage and utilities. Apply online or call 211 (651-291-0211) 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday.
For a printable, one-page flyer about the COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program, click one of the links below.
Thirteen boards and commissions are seeking applications this month. Don't miss your chance to apply and help shape important City decisions. Apply by Nov. 30 to serve on any of these boards and commissions:
Commission highlight: Civil Rights Commission
The Minneapolis Commission on Civil Rights (MCCR) spreads awareness about the City's civil rights policies and occasionally serves on panels to review complaints of discrimination from Minneapolis residents. Anyone who lives in Minneapolis can apply for this commission, although one of the open seats must be filled by an attorney. Download the application form and read more here.
The Minneapolis Health Department is planning to use a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to improve housing conditions for families with moderate and low incomes. The work on 225 homes through the end of 2022 will address the whole home including getting rid of lead paint hazards, cockroaches, mice, and asthma triggers; adding handrails and radon mitigation systems; and weatherizing. Read more.
A broad coalition of government agencies, nonprofit and philanthropic partners are currently operating the largest and safest emergency shelter system that has ever existed in Hennepin County as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There is existing emergency shelter space, especially for women, children and families. Emergency shelters continue to see new beds becoming available each day, and some go unused. There are also around 200 current vacancies in board and lodge facilities. Read more.
The City Council has approved a resolution establishing a truth and reconciliation process for the City of Minneapolis. The ultimate objective of this process is to begin implementing specific solutions to specific harms that created and perpetuate racial disparities with a prioritized focus on healing with historically Black American descendants of slavery and American Indian/Indigenous communities.
The resolution calls for the establishment of a working group that will explore the creation of the truth and reconciliation process and study the meaning of reconciliation, research different models of truth and reconciliation commissions, and understand the impact that such a process might have on the City of Minneapolis and its residents.
Truth and reconciliation processes have taken place all over the world, including in South Africa after the end of Apartheid and in Sierra Leone after the end of an 11-year civil war.
Read more.
The Northside Oral History Project is a community-based project that centers the stories of residents who have lived in the Penn-Plymouth area over the last 50 years. The project elevates the stories of resistance and resilience that have made the community what it is.
The Northside Oral History Project is funded through a grant from Resilience in Communities After Stress & Trauma (ReCAST), a federally funded City program that addresses trauma in community that arises as a result of structural and historical racism.
Read more.
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The State of Minnesota has approved requests by the City of Minneapolis and Hennepin County for property tax relief for properties damaged during civil unrest. Hennepin County notified property owners that qualify for the tax abatement that they were not expected to make the Oct. 15, second half property taxes. The County will recalculate the taxes using the City Assessor’s reassessed value and issue a new property tax statement. If you overpaid, a refund will be issued. Read more.
Snow season has arrived. Minneapolis residents should watch their mail for information on what to do when the City of Minneapolis declares a Snow Emergency. Residents can avoid a ticket and tow, and help crews do a complete job by moving their cars when a Snow Emergency is declared.
Hold on to your mailer throughout the snow season and have them handy whenever a Snow Emergency is declared. They explain the Snow Emergency parking rules and ways to stay informed during the snow season. Following the rules can help make snow season easier for everyone. It’s also important to help neighbors and visitors know the rules.
How to know when a snow emergency is declared
Read more.
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