 With Minnesota's primary election in less than two weeks, the Early Vote Center is extending its hours. Anyone who can vote in Minneapolis on Election Day can vote early at the Early Vote Center, 980 E. Hennepin Ave. See the extended hours on the City website.
Return your mail ballot
All mail-in ballots need to be received by Aug. 13 to count. Many Minneapolis voters have received a mail-in ballot but have not yet returned it. After Aug. 6, the City recommends returning mail ballots in person to avoid a late delivery. Ballots can be dropped off during regular business hours at Minneapolis Election & Voter Services, 980 E. Hennepin Ave., or at the Hennepin County Government Center, 300 Sixth St. S. On Election Day, Aug. 13, completed mail ballots will be accepted until 8 p.m.
Confirm your polling place
Everyone planning to cast their ballots on Election Day, Aug. 13, should check the location of their polling place. Find your polling place on the Minnesota secretary of state website.
See tips to save time voting and read more on the City website.
Mark your calendar: The 2025 Community Connections Conference will be Saturday, Feb. 8.
The conference is a free event that connects Minneapolis residents, community groups, neighborhoods and local government.
Community Connections Conference Saturday, Feb. 8 Minneapolis Convention Center
More information will follow closer to the date.
 Minneapolis Animal Care & Control encourages pet adoptions to help more animals find their forever homes and make room in its shelter. Visitors through Aug. 3 will pair up with a staff member or volunteer to help find the right pet for them.
Staff is seeing a spike in animals at the shelter this summer. Just last week, 130 animals were in its care. Staff say that increasing vet care costs and housing insecurity are likely causing more community members to surrender their pets. This increase in surrenders, combined with a lagging adoption rate, have left the shelter full.
Animal Care & Control is open for adoptions:
- 1-5 p.m. Monday-Wednesdays
- 1-7 p.m. Thursdays
- 1-5 p.m. Fridays
- 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays
Minneapolis residents are not charged adoption fees for cats or adult dogs; they just need to pay for a City license. Puppies younger than six months are $250 regardless of residence. Adoptable cats and dogs are already spayed or neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated.
Read more on the City website.
 The City of Minneapolis debuted three street concepts (PDF) and five site ideas (PDF) for George Floyd Square.
These concepts and ideas are part of the City’s engagement with community to develop a vision for the square by the end of the year. The vision will include a preferred concept for the design of the streets as well as ideas for the Peoples’ Way property, a former gas station the City purchased in 2023 for community space.
Next visioning workshop
The community has also been providing input on memorials through visioning workshops. Visioning for the memorials will be a focus for the August workshop and will help inform the City’s future role in the memorial process.
August visioning workshop 5:30-8 p.m. Aug. 27
3736 Chicago Ave.
Read more on the City website.
Minneapolis has a contract with Aira, an app that helps residents and visitors who are blind or have low vision navigate their surroundings using their phone. The person opens the app on their phone and is connected with a navigator who provides visual navigation support. The Aira app uses smart technology to connect users with human agents who are trained professional guides. The agents access the user’s smartphone camera (or Aira glasses) for a live video feed combined with GPS and maps so they can describe these public spaces and help users maneuver through them and also more richly experience what they have to offer.
The service is now available at Target Center, Minneapolis Convention Center, Nicollet Mall, City Hall, and the City’s Public Service Building and Public Service Center. This contract had been in place since 2019 and was recently renewed with the addition of the Public Service Center and the Public Service Building.
Download the free app and use it for free within any of these locations listed above.
 The Federal Aviation Administration will hold two public webinars to present information and take questions on new procedures in the works for the MSP Airport. The FAA is implementing GPS-based navigation instead of ground-based navigation as a part of modernizing the national airspace. GPS-based procedures are seen as safer and more efficient, adding precision to flight paths, but they also have the potential to change flight patterns and the experience on the ground.
Public webinars
The FAA is holding opportunities for public input:
1-3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 14 Register.
6-8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 15 Register.
Bring your questions. Attendees can send questions through the meeting chat, and there will be a 30-day public comment period.
Learn more from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Metropolitan Airports Commission.
During engagement for the community safety centers, south Minneapolis residents have requested potential social services and resources to address needs around:
- Addiction
- Affordable housing
- Culturally specific navigators
- Domestic violence
- Food insecurity
- Homelessness
- Legal assistance
- Medical help
- Mental health
- Youth services
Now that these 10 community priorities have been identified, the City’s Office of Community Safety is asking social service and resource providers for input on how the delivery of services might happen in the South Minneapolis Community Safety Center when it opens next year at 2633 Minnehaha Ave. The information will help the City understand possible collaboration between services, the likely needs for physical space, and potential costs. The requests for information are posted on the City website until Aug. 9.
Find more information about the community safety center on the City website.
Please email the Office of Community Safety with any questions.
 The Transit Assistance Program offers discounted transit fares for low-income residents, making it easier to commute to work, school, medical appointments and other essential activities. With a reduced fare TAP card, riders pay just $1 per ride, even during rush hour.
Now, qualifying riders can sign up for a TAP card at the Minneapolis Service Center in downtown. With its location near high traffic areas like the Government Center and Metro Transit’s Blue and Green light rail lines, the service center will be easily accessible by thousands.
Minneapolis Service Center
Public Service Building, skyway level 505 Fourth Ave. S.
Find out more about the new location on the City website.
Start your enrollment on the Metro Transit website.
The City Trees program is providing low-cost trees to Minneapolis property owners. Since the program began in 2006, the City has helped plant more than 20,000 trees. Minneapolis is one of the country’s greenest cities.
Trees are available year-round to:
- Businesses
- Nonprofits
- Organizations
- Apartment buildings with five or more units
Residents in Minneapolis Green Zones are encouraged to participate and to plant shade trees for the most benefits, including natural cooling during the hotter months.
The Climate Legacy Initiative is funding the City Trees program.
See what tree programs are offered on the City website.
Watch a video and hear from our City Trees team.
As part of the Climate Legacy Initiative, the City’s Green Cost Share program is helping Minneapolis residents make weatherization and other energy-saving improvements to their homes.
Owners of single-family or two- to four-unit residential properties can receive funds to make their property more energy efficient through rebates of up to $14,000.
From insulation to air-source heat pumps, the City can help you save money on utility bills and make your home more comfortable year-round.
Minneapolis resident Jamie Laudert received City funds to make her 100-year-old home energy-efficient year-round.
Watch Jamie’s video.
Apply for funds to make your home more energy efficient on the City website.
Sign up for the City of Minneapolis’ new alert system. You can get text alerts, create a full profile if you’d like alerts on specific subjects, and even download the mobile app to your phone.
Alert topics
The City of Minneapolis will use the new system, Smart911, to send alerts on many topics including:
- Snow emergencies.
- Severe weather.
- Public safety incidents.
- Major infrastructure issues.
- Major special event impacts.
Smart911 replaces the City’s former alert system, Swiftreach. If you were subscribed to Swiftreach, you'll get alerts in the new system. We encourage you to create a Smart911 profile for more precise alerts.
Sign up for alerts
To subscribe, text MPLSAlerts to 77295 or create a full Smart911 profile online.
Read more about the new alert system on the City website.
Dear Ward 6 Constituents,
Please join me during our community office hours to chat and discuss issues that matter the most to you.
Thank you!
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