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Dear Neighbor,
Dear Neighbor,
On Wednesday, I was able to gather with members of our Climate Resiliency Steering Committee and partners for lunch to discuss the launch and status of our carbon credits program. I am proud of the work this group has done to confront our climate crisis.
I can’t believe I am going to say this, but we are approaching the end of summer! I have enjoyed my time at many community events with you and also having some restorative time with my family. I hope you have all been able to enjoy our lovely summer weather, activities and time with one another. School will be starting in early September and I will be sending my youngest son, Oliver, off to Kindergarten!
We have been busy at City Hall and I have been focusing on and putting a great deal of time into the restructure of our City government. This work is in response to the passage of a successful ballot initiative last fall that dictates an Executive Mayor/Legislative Council system. It isn’t high profile work, but it is extremely important and will be the largest and most impactful work that I or any of my colleagues will do in our time on the City Council. We are rewriting the entire chapters of our city code in relation to government structure as a start, and this will need to be updated in our City Charter, our constitution, in the future. At the same time we are shepherding forward this government restructure, we are also beginning work on reviewing and amending the Mayor’s proposed 2023-2024 budget. I would love to hear from you, my constituents, on the proposed budget and where our resources should be focused.
I also want to take a moment to highlight the work we have been doing to support women’s reproductive rights. In May, the Council passed a resolution safeguarding the rights of Minneapolis residents seeking reproductive healthcare. In early August, the Mayor issued his first ever Executive Order protecting healthcare professionals and people lawfully seeking and receiving reproductive health care in the City of Minneapolis. And just last week, the Council strengthened its Paid Parental Leave Policy to provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave to eligible City employees for the birth of a child or adoption event. All of these actions reflect and support a woman’s right to choose a course that is best for her.
Regards,
Beginning Sept. 6, a runway safety restoration project at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport may result in more arriving and departing jets flying over south Minneapolis
Runway 17/35 will be closed for up to six weeks for the project. Flights that would normally use this runway will be directed to the other runways at the airport, which may result in a noticeable increase in air traffic affecting Minneapolis residents, including southwest Minneapolis.
The runway safety restoration project is being conducted by the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which owns and operates Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and six general aviation airports in the greater metro area. Runway use and flight activity information are available on the MAC’s FlightTracker.
Anyone with questions about runway closures may call the commission’s community relations office at 612-726-9411.
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In conversation with many of you over the years, it has become clear to me that Ward 13 residents are deeply passionate about climate change, sustainability and the planet that we share- and so am I.
We are in the process of organizing a Ward Forum focused on actions the City of Minneapolis is taking to address this crisis. We are planning for an evening meeting in late September or October. Stay tuned for more details!
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Public Works will be making improvements to the William Berry Parkway/Richfield Road intersection
in August-September 2022. The improvements will include rebuilding the traffic signal and replacing the pedestrian and bicycle ramps to improve accessibility.
The new signal will have a pedestrian scramble, which is a type of signal treatment that stops all traffic and allows people to cross from all
corners at the same time—including diagonally. Pedestrian scrambles allow people to cross the street without any vehicle movements through the intersection. Drivers will see red signal indications during the pedestrian scramble, so potential conflicts between pedestrians and
vehicles are eliminated.
PROPOSED INTERSECTION OPERATIONS
Bde Maka Ska Pkwy
William Berry Pkwy
Richfield Rd
Bde Maka Ska Pkwy
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The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is working on plans to renovate the Lake Harriet Bandshell area. The primary focus of the project is replacing the wood roof shingles on the Bandshell and nearby buildings, but additional work could also include upgrades to lighting, electrical and restrooms, adding bird-safe coating to Bandshell windows, and replacing doors and door frames.
More details will be available after the project is bid for construction this fall. Work will be scheduled to maintain normal seasonal Bandshell entertainment, concessions operations and bathroom availability as much as possible.
Repair Timeline
Fall 2022: Bid and award construction contract(s)
Winter 2022-23: Purchase and prepare new wood shingles
Spring-Fall 2023: Perform roof repairs and building renovations
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Coming soon: a new way to request traffic calming and the new Neighborhood Traffic Calming process.
Each year the City of Minneapolis receives 2,500+ requests for traffic calming measures- far more requests than resources. In an effort to better serve residents, the Department of Public Works will launch a new process by September 15. In addition, a new website will be available to digitally submit all traffic calming requests throughout the City.
The new process will apply to neighborhood streets and seeks to provide a process that is data-driven, transparent, and more equitable. Once launched, traffic calming requests can be made by November 1, 2022, to be considered for construction in 2023.
More information and a detailed description of the process and evaluation metrics can be found here.
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Save the date for a fall e-waste and paper shredding recycling event on Sat, Sept 24 from 9am–12pm! Bring documents, TVs, computers, phones, peripherals (cords, computer parts, keyboards, etc.) and small appliances for safe recycling AND data destruction. Thanks to Mayflower Church for hosting the event.
The suggested donation is $5 (or $5 + $5 to sponsor a neighbor), but no one will be turned away. Cash and cards will be accepted on-site.
Thirty-three City boards and commissions have openings for appointments this fall. The City seeks applicants with a diversity of backgrounds and experiences representing the demographics of Minneapolis to strengthen the work of the City.
The City of Minneapolis has more than 50 volunteer-based boards, commissions and advisory committees that advise the City on issues and help develop policy and administer services. Boards and commissions fall into a handful of categories: appeal boards, development boards, general advisory boards and special service districts (defined areas within the city with special services).
Appointments to boards and commissions are made twice a year: in the spring and fall.
People can apply and stay up to date on vacancies, position descriptions and timelines by visiting minneapolismn.gov/boards/openings.
Applications are open now and close on Sept. 30.
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Mayor Jacob Frey has outlined his recommended biennial City budget for 2023 and 2024, a spending plan that prioritizes investments in affordable housing, public safety, economic inclusion initiatives, City staff capacity and climate and public health programs.
The proposed 2023 budget is $1.66 billion and the 2024 budget is $1.71 billion. The proposed tax levy increase for 2023 is 6.5% and is expected to be 6.2% in 2024.
The City Council will begin reviewing the proposed biennial budget in September and adopt the budget in December. The Board of Estimate and Taxation is holding a public hearing on Sept. 14. The City Council is holding public hearings on Nov. 10 and Nov. 15, along with a Truth in Taxation public hearing before the final budget adoption Dec. 6.
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Minneapolis property owners can order 5- to 8-foot trees for $30 each to plant on their private property. Minneapolis property owners in Green Zones and rental property owners who didn’t get a tree in the Spring 2022 City Trees program will get a chance to order a tree earlier. Two trees can be ordered per property.
The 350 trees in 10 varieties this year include large and medium shade trees, fruit trees and flowering trees. Comparable trees cost about $125 at a nursery.
Tiered purchasing windows
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Green Zones property owners and rental property owners can get priority access to order up to two trees now through Aug. 31.
- All Minneapolis property owners who didn’t purchase a tree in the Spring 2022 Minneapolis tree sale can order their trees starting at 8 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 1.
Purchasing is available now until the trees run out.
- Low-cost trees are available first-come, first-served.
- People will pick up their trees Oct. 1 (subject to change). Location is to be determined and will be emailed to people who bought a tree. Volunteers onsite will help load each new tree and a complimentary bag of mulch into vehicles on request.
Find more information and order your trees through Tree Trust.
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The City of Minneapolis’ ninth annual Minneapolis Trans Equity Summit takes place Friday, Sept. 16 at Minneapolis College. The summit, which is free and open to the public, includes both virtual and in-person events.
Trans Equity Summit: Building Trans Power
10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday Sept. 16
Minneapolis College T Bldg, 1415 Hennepin Ave. S.
This year's keynote speaker is louie ortiz-fonseca, the creator of Gran Varones: a digital project that highlights LGBTQ pop culture history and community storytelling through a Black/Latinx lens. An intergenerational panel discussion featuring youth and elders is planned.
The Trans Equity Summit is an event for trans and gender non-conforming community members to connect to resources and each other, and for all attendees to learn more about issues impacting their communities. For general questions about the summit, please reach out to TransEquitySummit@minneapolismn.gov.
Find more information, including accessibility details and registration links in English, Spanish, Somali, and Hmong, and watch for updates on the City of Minneapolis website.
The City of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) have agreed to principles governing negotiation of the issues identified in the recent MDHR findings. The findings, first presented April 27, outline probable cause that the City and the Minneapolis Police Department engage in a pattern or practice of race discrimination in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act.
After a brief pause in discussions, the City and MDHR returned to the table on June 21 and July 9 for discussions. On July 14, the parties agreed to a non-binding statement of principles that will guide efforts to reach a court-enforceable settlement agreement this fall. The City and MDHR have had several meetings in August.
Read the principles.
One of the best parts of my job is getting to meet with my constituents, learn more about you and hear your questions, concerns, hopes and dreams for our shared community.
If you'd like to schedule a time to meet with me, send me an e-mail and my staff will help get it scheduled. Please let me know what you'd like to talk about and a convenient place to meet- a coffee shop, a park, your home, my office, etc. I try to reserve Fridays for constituent meetings, but can work them in other times, as necessary, too.
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