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On Friday, December 8, Mayor Jacob Frey signed the 2024 budget which was adopted by the City Council. This budget marks the mayor’s first full, two-year budget cycle and shows the product of a collaborative effort between the mayor’s office, the budget team, City staff, and the City Council.
At the start of the budget process this year, Mayor Frey consulted Council Members to collect input around their priorities for this budget. The mayor invited the council to partner in this process in May and received feedback and specific priorities from all 13 Council Members. During the mayor’s budget address on August 15, he thanked the Council for their collaboration and outlined how their priorities made it into his recommended budget.
Mayor Frey’s 2024 budget totals $1.8 billion, with a tax levy increase of 6.2% – which is the exact levy increase he promised last year as a part of the biennial budget process.
“Through this budget, we're positioning Minneapolis for progress on both courageous, new work and bedrock government service,” said Frey. “Our residents want a safe community, thriving small and local businesses, actionable progress on the climate crisis, and an affordable place to call home. These are things we can and will deliver on. This budget lays out generational investments in the city we love – for residents who call Minneapolis home today and for those who will call it home years from now.”
Affordable and Public Housing
- Adds an additional $4 million in the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, bringing the total ongoing funding to $5 million -- five times the previous funding level
- Increases funding to $18 million for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, helping produce and preserve quality affordable housing across Minneapolis
- Invests $2 million in Minneapolis Homes, increasing affordable homeownership opportunities and addressing racial disparities in homeownership
- Adds $950,000 in capital funding for additional shelter capacity to help residents facing homelessness
- Expands Proactive Renter’s First and Alternative Enforcement Initiatives by more than $300,000, helping provide additional staff to focus on holding property owners accountable when traditional enforcement is not effective
- Replenishes the Renter Relocation Fund with $150,000 in one-time funding and $90,000 in going funding to continue providing services
Climate and Public Health
- Invests $10 million annually into the Minneapolis Climate Legacy Initiative to support the City’s climate goals over the next decade, tripling previous climate work investments
- This investment includes: $4.7 million toward weatherizing all homes in Minneapolis, $1.4 million in workforce training, and $850,000 in the City’s tree canopy program
- Puts forward nearly $3 million to address the opioid crisis, including for culturally responsive treatment facilities, new programming, and additional staff
- Invests $500,000 into Turning Point, a nonprofit on the Northside that provides culturally specific behavioral health services and training
- Adds nearly $1 million to a medical mobile unit that will travel around the city to provide opioid treatment and services to residents
- Adds $730,000 to go toward Electric Vehicle Charging stations across Minneapolis
Economic Inclusion
- Invests an additional $3 million to the Ownership and Opportunity Fund to provide ownership opportunities to local BIPOC small business owners
- Adds nearly $1.3 million for future planning and development of George Floyd Square, including art preservation and community engagement
- Provides a direct investment of $420,000 in neighborhood organizations across the city, increasing the base budget for each neighborhood from $10,000 to $15,000 and ensuring that every neighborhood receives a minimum of $5,000 in equitable engagement funds
- Supports the implementation of recommendations from the Vibrant Downtown Storefronts Workgroup with $650,000 in funding
- Invests $315,000 in the Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) department to help plan for upcoming recreational cannabis regulations
- Adds a Director of Strategic Initiatives in CPED to coordinate downtown activity and build partnerships
- Continues the Warehouse District Live pilot program with $750,000
- Expands funding for Black Business Week and Latino Business Week in Minneapolis
- Continues the Community Outreach and Safety Program that provides competitive grants to community-based organizations to provide training for young people interested in public safety careers
Community Safety and Police Reform
- Invests approximately $16 million for the implementation of the federal consent decree, funding a team of 34 dedicated positions in MPD, Civil Rights, and the Information Technology.
- Expands the Behavioral Crisis Response program with ongoing funding of $2.9 million
- Funds 731 sworn officers in the Police Department and 8 classes of new hires, additionally investing $7.126 million for overtime and contracting with other law enforcement entities
- Builds out the Department of Neighborhood Safety and its violence prevention work with a $3.3 million investment
- Invests $2 million to add 15 new civilian positions within MPD to bolster investigative and administrative functions
- Supports the addition of three positions in the Office of Community Safety, helping to fulfill safety innovation work recommended through the Minneapolis Safe and Thriving Communities Report.
- Allocates $150,000 to the Minneapolis Fire Department to update computer systems in fire trucks to ensure personnel are quickly alerted of priority calls
City Capacity and Performance
- Invests $2.7 million in the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board to repair parkway systems across the city, an increase from $750,000 last year
- Allocates $500,000 annually via the City’s stormwater fee to fund critical analysis of the Park Board’s stormwater infrastructure
- Invests $470,000 for new Public Works equipment to increase lifespan of pothole repairs and continue efficient and effective snow clearance -- as well as $500,000 for a permanent snow removal and storage site
- Supports Minneapolis Animal Care and Control with a $365,000 investment, helping to better staff animal shelters
- Expands the Human Resources Department with eight permanent positions to improve the City’s ability to recruit and retain high-quality staff
- Increases investments in the Legislative Department, including constituent services planning, audit and evaluation work, data practices and records, elections, along with additional attorneys in the City Attorney’s office to support the Legislative Department.
The full legislative record of the 2024 budget process is available here.
Last week, Mayor Frey joined Minneapolis Park Board leaders to celebrate the opening of the city’s third Spark’d Studios location. The new studio is at the Whittier Recreation Center and provides a space for youth to learn, grow, create, and aspire through free multimedia arts programs, equitable access to technology, and mentorship from professionals. This is the third of six Spark’d Studios locations to open, with the final three expected to open by 2026.
The mayor and City are proud to invest an ongoing $2.6M in this incredible program.
“When I thought about recreation, I thought about a combination of sports and music,” Frey said. “What [Bangoura] explained to me is that we have to meet young people not where they were 15 and 20 years ago, but where they are right now.”
Last week, the City Council approved Mayor Frey’s nominee Margaret Anderson Kelliher to the role of City Operations Officer for the City of Minneapolis. Anderson Kelliher has a long and proven track record of leading complex and strategic government work, especially in times of change. She has held top roles for the Minnesota House of Representatives, State of Minnesota Department of Transportation, and currently for the City of Minneapolis’ Public Works Department.
As City Operations Officer, Anderson Kelliher will oversee the City’s Office of Public Service and its 17 departments, including the 311 Service Center, Regulatory Services, Race, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, Community Planning and Economic Development, and Communications. She will also provide enterprise-wide leadership and direction to thousands of employees to ensure the delivery of high-quality, coordinated city services.
“Every mayor in the country needs a leader like Margaret Anderson Kelliher – someone who has been navigating challenges and solving problems for their entire public service career,” said Mayor Frey. “Margaret’s governing resume is second to none and her community ties are built over decades – that combination of commitment and expertise is exactly what we need in our City Operations Officer. I know she is the right person to continue building out the Office of Public Service as a hub of effective, efficient, and equitable government services for Minneapolis residents, and I’m grateful for her willingness to continue serving the City of Minneapolis in this capacity.”
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Recently, Mayor Frey welcomed the US Ambassador to Ukraine, Oksana Markarova, to Minneapolis. Markarova’s visit was the first stop of a nationwide tour called “Whistlestops for Ukraine,” an initiative that raises support and awareness for the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Mayor Frey joined Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon in reaffirming their cities support for aid to the country.
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Last year, Mayor Frey dedicated $7M of federal rescue plan act dollars to enterprise-wide recruitment and retention efforts, including $1M dedicated to the Minneapolis Police Department.
This fall, the City signed a contract with Accenture to build out a robust public safety recruitment marketing plan – the launch is anticipated for early 2024. Recently, Mayor Frey and Chief O'Hara talked to KSTP about the upcoming campaign and ongoing need to recruit and retain community-oriented officers.
The campaign will include content in the form of video, social media, email messages, direct mail, and text messages, and will look to recruit community-oriented officers who reflect the values of our city.
On Friday, Mayor Frey joined the Governor at the Urban League Twin Cities to distribute 500 free laptops to pre-selected students and families in Minneapolis who have digital divide barriers.
The refurbished laptops, funded by an AT&T donation to Human-I-T, will be given to families and students served by the Urban League Twin Cities and the Northside Achievement Zone. Each nonprofit will be giving away 250 laptops to their families and youth.
Many do not have digital basics at home, including a computer, needed to benefit from the online world – an issue known as the digital divide. The event is part of AT&T’s nationwide commitment to help bridge the digital divide.
Immunizations are available this fall and winter in the United States that can help protect against three major respiratory diseases: COVID-19, flu and RSV. Immunization against these viruses remains the best protection for reducing the risk of serious illness, hospitalizations, long-term health impacts and death.
Recommendations for these immunizations vary based on age, pregnancy status or medical conditions.
To find flu and COVID-19 vaccines, visit vaccines.gov.
To learn more, including how to find recommended immunizations, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
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