 Mark your calendar! The 2024 Community Connections Conference will be on Saturday, Feb. 17.
The conference is a free event that connects Minneapolis residents, community groups, neighborhoods and local government.
Our conference theme will be “Open city, your Minneapolis.” This year, we want to focus on making Minneapolis a transparent, accessible city that is open to everyone, open to new ideas and open for business.
We will highlight the ways you can get involved in both government decision-making and your local community. We will also celebrate the many parts of city that are reopening and recovering after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Community Connections Conference
Saturday, Feb.17
9 – 10 a.m., registration and exhibit hall opens
10 a.m. – 4 p.m., conference programming
Minneapolis Convention Center, first floor, Hall E
Exhibit
We invite everyone in the community to share information, skills, resources and opportunities through exhibitor booths.
Apply for your exhibit space by midnight Dec. 31 or whenever space is full. We are especially looking for informative, fun, interactive exhibits for both children and adults. Exhibit space is free for nonprofits and public institutions, and organizers will also provide booth spaces for conference partners.
Apply for your space in the exhibit hall.
Spread the word
You can help us spread the word about the conference and exhibitor opportunities by sharing these resources:
Starting Jan. 2, 2024, community organizations, groups and individuals can apply for funding for small-scale, meaningful projects to make Minneapolis communities more socially connected, healthy and safe. The projects will also need to work with one of the City’s 70 neighborhood organizations.
Previous community projects have included youth mentorships, emergency preparedness, public events, garden infrastructure, civic leadership development, entrepreneurship training, addressing health disparities, employment support, youth peace building, corridor development, resources for unsheltered neighbors, community building, youth media and storytelling, arts programming and placemaking.
Interested in applying?
Join one of the upcoming online information sessions to learn more about the program and how to apply.
We will record the information sessions.
If you have any questions or need accommodations to attend, email PartnershipFund@minneapolismn.gov or text (612) 321-8649.
Community reviewers needed
If you are not applying for funding, you can be part of the team that reviews Partnership Engagement Fund applications.
Sign up to be a community reviewer.
Pictured: Photo from Apoyo a Emergencias, a 2023 project that gave emergency response training in Spanish.
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Twin Cities monthly immigration forum meets Thursday, Dec. 14
The City of Minneapolis Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) in partnership with the City of Saint Paul Immigrant and Refugee Program hosts a monthly immigration forum to offer immigration-related updates to the community. The next meeting of this series will be on Thursday, Dec. 14.
Twin Cities monthly immigration forum
Thurs., Dec. 14, 4:30 - 6 p.m.
Join online over Microsoft Teams
Or call in (audio only) at +1 612-276-6670 with meeting ID 365504388#
The topics covered include:
- Federal immigration news and resources.
- City, community and advocacy organization updates.
- Other topics important to immigrant, refugee and new American communities.
Watch previous forums on the City's YouTube channel.
Find dates and links to join the meetings on the OIRA events calendar. Learn more about the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) at minneapolismn.gov/ncr/oira or contact the office directly at oira@minneapolismn.gov.
Radio and TV show schedule
The City of Minneapolis shares important news and updates in English, Spanish, Somali, Oromo and Hmong over three community radio stations and two television programs.
You can see the upcoming schedule for these shows and find past recordings on the City website.
Public hearing Dec. 5 for Margaret Anderson Kelliher’s nomination as city operations officer
A public hearing will take place Dec. 5 for Mayor Frey’s nomination of Margaret Anderson Kelliher as the city operations officer. As city operations officer, Anderson Kelliher would oversee the Office of Public Service and its 17 departments. She would also lead thousands of employees Citywide to ensure high-quality, coordinated services.
Read more about the nomination and role on the City website.
Public hearing during Committee of the Whole meeting
1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5
City Hall, 350 S. Fifth St., Room 317
Learn how to participate in public hearings.
Listening session on smoke-free housing planned for Dec. 6
The City’s Health Department is partnering with NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center and Live Smoke Free to host a listening session about smoke-free housing Dec. 6.
We want to hear what Minneapolis residents, 18 and older who live in multi-unit housing (such apartments, condos, and townhomes), think about smoking in apartments/units and their opinions about secondhand smoke and smoke-free policies.
Smoke-free housing listening session
5-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6
NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center, 1256 Penn Ave. N.
Register online or call 612-767-9163.
Minneapolis to move forward with 3rd Precinct and Safety Center
Minneapolis will move forward with plans to build out the 3rd Precinct and Safety Center at 2633 Minnehaha Ave. S. The City Council approved moving forward with plans to build out a 3rd Precinct and Safety Center at the site Mayor Jacob Frey and City leaders identified as an additional option.
This site is the cheapest to purchase and quickest to occupy of any site that has been on the table.
More information on 2633 Minnehaha Ave. S. is included in the memo on the City website (PDF).
Read the full council resolution and more on the City website.
Sign up for free disaster preparedness training
Sign up now for a free two-day training to help make you more confident, prepared and secure in a natural or human-caused disaster.
In Ready Camp, you’ll learn about:
- Making an emergency preparedness kit.
- Emergency alerts.
- Severe weather.
- Planning for medical needs.
- Staying in contact with your family.
- Protecting your pets.
You will also learn ways to store water and emergency food supplies, create first aid and survival kits, make a list of affordable and recommended emergency items, and get examples of equipment and devices that can help in surviving a disaster.
Ready Camp will feature industry experts related to the fields of safety, health and wellness, and emergency preparedness. Food will be provided at no cost.
Plan to join both sessions:
Free two-day Ready Camp
4:45 p.m.-8 p.m. Jan. 23-24.
Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall.
Registration opens Dec. 15.
Register online.
Minimum wage increases to $15.57 Jan. 1 for large employers in Minneapolis
In 2024, the minimum wage across the city of Minneapolis will rise to $15.57. First, on January 1, 2024, larger employers (more than 100 employees) and franchises start paying at least $15.57.
Next, on July 1, 2024, all other employers (100 or fewer employees) reach the same required minimum wage of $15.57. Find more information on the City’s website or email minwage@minneapolismn.gov.
Also in 2024, the State of Minnesota earned sick and safe time law is expanding paid sick leave protection to employees all across the state. It requires paid sick or equivalent leave (just like in Minneapolis) to be provided by all employers (of all sizes) to their employees. For more information, visit the MN Department of Labor and Industry’s website. Investment in people grows businesses and healthier communities.
No cost and risk-free (amnesty) compliance assistance for employers is available by contacting the Civil Rights Department at sicktimeinfo@minneapolismn.gov or through free business legal advice provided by the City’s business technical assistance program.
How to file a discrimination complaint
The City’s Civil Rights Department encourages those who believe they have been discriminated against to file a complaint. Complaints can be made by calling 311, filling out an online form (available in six languages), or in person at the Service Center in the Public Service Building or City Hall, Room 239.
The City’s Civil Rights Department’s Complaint Investigations Division works to prevent and prohibit discrimination in Minneapolis by investigating complaints of discrimination made by members of the public. The division investigates discrimination that occurs within the city limits of Minneapolis in the last year based on a person’s protected class (race, sex, disability, national origin and more) in areas including employment, housing, public accommodation and public services.
Protections include newly enforceable language protecting those with Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers from discrimination in housing. A full list of covered protected classes and areas where the division can investigate can be found under the Minneapolis Civil Rights Ordinance.
Successful mediations in 2023 so far have collected more than $200,000 in monetary damages for victims of discrimination.
Videos
These videos in four languages describe what is covered under the Minneapolis Civil Rights Ordinance, how to file a complaint and what to expect after filing.
Video 1: What is discrimination under the Minneapolis Civil Rights Ordinance?
Video 2: How do I file a Complaint of Discrimination and what happens after I file?
The website also includes information about discrimination complaints, the process of investigating discrimination charges and mediation.
Get help with energy saving improvements
Are you looking to upgrade your windows, or improve your heating and cooling system? Minneapolis homeowners and property owners making energy-saving improvements can apply now for help.
Kosar’s story: From high bills to living in a paradise
Meet Kosar Mohamad, who, after years of high energy bills, went to the City for help weatherizing his home. After getting energy-efficient updates, Kosar describes living in his home as a “paradise.”
Watch Kosar’s story: Transforming Homes and Lives: The Green Cost Share Program in Minneapolis.
Apply now
Take the first step toward a more energy-efficient home, and help reduce climate change.
Visit the City website for more information, and apply for the City’s Green Cost Share programs.
Save your snow emergency mailer for information on how to know when the City of Minneapolis declares a snow emergency and what to do. The City sent out about 182,000 snow emergency mailers, one to each household in the city. The mailer has graphics and text showing the parking rules during the three phases of a snow emergency. Avoid a ticket and tow, and help crews do a complete job by moving your car when a snow emergency is declared.
It’s also important to help neighbors and visitors know the rules.
Snow emergencies are declared when there’s enough snowfall to warrant a complete plowing of our streets. Moving parked vehicles allows crews to plow the full width of the street.
When the snow flies, City Public Works crews have enormous jobs to do, with more than 1,400 miles of streets, parkways and alleys to clear. Vehicles parked on the street in violation of snow emergency rules can be ticketed or towed.
Sign up for alerts
There are several ways to know when the City has declared a snow emergency. We suggest getting your information in more ways than one so it’s less likely your car will be towed.
Read more about how to stay informed, and sign up for alerts on the City website.
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