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Summary: Council is continuing our process around the 2025 Budget.
Background: For the last month, the City Council has received presentations from every city department about their proposed budget for 2025. This is a standard part of the city’s budget process each year, and it provides a great opportunity to learn about each department’s current priorities, challenges, and goals. You can review the full list of budget presentations here.
Next, Council Members author amendments to the Mayor’s proposed budget. I am planning to bring 15 amendments that reflect the top priorities that I hear from residents every day. My office is engaged in conversation with residents, community groups, city staff, and other Council offices about the best ways to refine these amendments and ensure that our city budget is meeting the needs of working class residents.
Council held one public hearing on the budget last month, and will hold two more public hearings on the budget before it is adopted:
Budget Hearing #2: November 12th at 10am
Budget Hearing #3: December 10th at 6:05pm
Both public hearings will be held at the Council Chamber located at the Public Service Building (250 S 4th St Room 350). Any resident may attend and speak for two minutes. Residents may also submit written testimony at any time by emailing CouncilComment@minneapolismn.gov.
Key votes: Council will vote on budget amendments on December 5th and 6th. The final budget adoption will take place on December 10th at 6:05pm, after the last public hearing has concluded.
Summary: The Administration and Enterprise Oversight Committee received a report on the recruitment of law enforcement officers.
Background: Council Member Koski authored a staff direction for a presentation on law enforcement recruitment, hiring, and retention practices in peer cities and how they compare with our practices in Minneapolis.
The staff report and presentation included interesting insights such as the inconclusive data on the efficacy of retention bonuses as a recruitment strategy.
A few days after the presentation at AEO, MPD gave a presentation on their proposed 2025 Budget to the Budget Committee. This presentation touched on many of the same topics as the presentation about recruitment, hiring, and retention, and so several Council Members including myself attempted to get answers to the questions and concerns sparked at the October 21st AEO presentation. MPD’s responses to these questions sparked more questions than answers.
- MPD received over 1,000 applications this year, 500 more than what they received in 2023, and yet only 60 of those applicants will likely join MPD. Council Members raised concerns about why so few officers were hired this year in spite of a large applicant pool. MPD Chief O’Hara cited a few potential reasons for why this could be, such as our extensive and prolonged hiring process, but was unable to reference any data that sources the problem.
- Council Members inquired about what existing recruitment efforts led to MPD's increased applicant pool this year, as well as a breakdown of the $1 million dollars that Council allocated to MPD last year for recruitment efforts. This is particularly important since MPD is requesting half a million dollars in new spending for recruitment related contracts, and Council wants to make sure we’re being financially sound with limited public resources. Chief O’Hara was unable to cite how the $1 million dollars were spent, but said that they are finding great success with in-house recruitment actions. This raised additional concerns about the need for additional funds, since MPD has found great success with leveraging existing resources.
- MPD spoke mostly about their staffing challenges, though the department has a total of 966.01 staff which includes 578 sworn peace officers and 388 civilian staffers. They currently have 20 civilian vacancies. I asked what barriers are preventing these positions from being filled. Chief O’Hara shared that barriers exist but could not name any specific ones.
- Council Members asked how MPD’s workload has decreased since Council has invested in other public safety initiatives and staff that are assuming a number of MPD’s safety calls. Examples of this include our BCR program which responds to mental health related 911 calls and the precinct embedded social workers who are also assisting police officers with case follow up. Chief O’Hara was unable to provide data on how these investments have impacted their overall workload but emphasized that they have been helpful assets.
- I also inquired about when MPD would be presenting an updated staffing study to Council which will give more data and information on how best to organize law enforcement resources and staffing to best meet the needs of residents. Chief O’Hara was unable to give me a definitive timeline on when this will come back before Council.
- MPD is still not robustly tracking off-duty work by MPD officers
Key votes: No votes taken.
Summary: Council was asked to approve a contract for almost $1 million for compliance services in the Neighborhood Safety Department. Due to many questions, the item was returned to the staff, meaning it will not move forward.
Background: The Administration and Enterprise Oversight Committee was asked to approve a contract for $992,400 with the Black Business Enterprise Fund for capacity building and compliance consulting services.
My colleagues and I had a number of questions about the appropriateness of this contract. The Black Business Enterprise Fund did not appear to have a mission that was aligned with the scope of the contract, any evidence of experience working with nonprofit organizations, especially those specializing in violence prevention, and operates at a scale much smaller than the scope of the contract being proposed by the city. Due to these questions, we held the item over for one cycle in order to give the Neighborhood Safety Department (NSD) staff the opportunity to brief committee members.
I want to thank the staff of the Neighborhood Safety Department for taking the time to meet with my office in between the last meeting and this meeting to talk through some of my questions and concerns. Staff was able to share more context about the procurement process for professional services which did provide some clarity, but I still had a number of concerns about why we are not relying on subject matter experts and our existing technical assistance providers, and about this vendor’s capacity to execute the scope of services. NSD staff also did not meet with all other members of the committee, meaning my colleagues were not able to come to the subsequent meeting with any additional information. The written memo that NSD staff provided contributed essentially nothing to the conversation.
That said, my primary concern with this contract was the fact that the city needs to invest in the infrastructure of the Neighborhood Safety Department rather than outsource work via contracts. The Safe and Thriving Communities Plan outlines the importance of building in-house infrastructure at the city. We need to be building a Neighborhood Safety Department that can support the scale of unarmed public safety programs that our residents deserve. Instead of spending a million dollars for a contracted organization to hire 17 people, we should be adding staff to NSD who can not just add capacity in the short term, but expand the capacity of this work for years and decades to come.
Last year during the budget process I and my colleagues attempted to add staff to NSD, but we received a memo in which OCS leadership said that they did not need additional staff. Mere weeks after that memo was sent, NSD started to fall behind on basic tasks like fulfilling invoices and staff spoke publicly about how short staffing was the reason for this breakdown. A few positions were added since then, but there has continued to be substandard completion of basic tasks such as delays in filling invoices. We continue to hear from NSD staff that they have extremely high workloads as a result of this short staffing, and as of August there were 11 vacant positions in NSD.
The persistent failures of management in the Neighborhood Safety Department undercuts the seriousness and credibility of the city’s unarmed safety work and getting this department back on track needs to be a top priority of the administration if they are serious about public safety beyond policing.
We need to correct the problems in NSD and make it into an effective, sustainable department. That starts by investing resources into the infrastructure of the department itself, not outsourcing it to contracts while neglecting the city department itself. I believe we must invest in our city’s public safety system beyond policing, and outsourcing a huge scope of that work moves us away from the infrastructure we need to be building in-house.
Given this, I motioned to return the contract to the authors, which essentially ends consideration of the contract.
Going forward, I plan to use parts of this $1 million to once again bring back the proposal for NSD to hire staff internally to accomplish this work and start to rehabilitate NSD as a functional department.
Key votes: The Administration and Enterprise Oversight Committee voted 4-0-1 to return the contract to the authors. Council Member Vetaw abstained due to a possible conflict of interest.
Summary: The Administration and Enterprise Oversight Committee received a report on contracts that were given to community groups for community trauma response and de-escalation. I had several key questions about these contracts.
Background: The city received funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, ARPA, which were one-time funds to address the social and economic impacts of the pandemic. One of the areas the city spent funds on was community trauma response and de-escalation initiatives. I am strongly supportive of this work, but I had some questions about which groups were selected to receive funds.
In particular, the organizations listed are mostly northside and in the downtown area, with little to no representation of southside organizations. I asked staff to confirm if this was the case, and share how geography factored into the consideration of these contracts.
I also saw two groups on the list that do not appear to have any overlap with community trauma response and de-escalation work, the Black Business Enterprise Fund and Let’s Learn Collectively on our Life’s Journey. These both look like great organizations providing a lot of value to the community, but without a clear connection to trauma response and de-escalation work. I asked staff to speak to what was requested in the RFP, and if there’s any context to why the groups that were selected appear to focus outside the scope of service.
Staff from NSD was not able to answer these questions at the meeting, but will follow up via a public memo in the coming weeks.
Key votes: No votes taken.
Summary: Council is holding a public hearing on my policy amendment that will give the city permission to collect fees on carbon dioxide to help reduce emissions and combat climate change.
Background: Earlier this month, Council unanimously approved new fees on carbon emissions as part of the city’s 2025 fee schedule. Mayor Frey vetoed this crucial climate measure. Last week, Council stood united and overrode the Mayor’s veto to save carbon fees.
To address the concerns that Mayor Frey raised in his veto letter, I and my colleagues worked with Mayor’s executive staff to advance additional legislative actions, including amending the ordinance that enables the city’s pollution control annual registration fees to specifically include carbon dioxide.
At this public hearing, any resident is welcome to come testify for two minutes. It is a great opportunity to share why you support the city taking bold action on climate change and carbon emissions reduction.
Key votes: Public hearing on carbon fees will be November 6th at 1:30pm at the Public Health and Safety Committee in Council Chambers at 250 S. 4th Street, Room 350. Residents can also submit testimony in writing at any time to CouncilComment@minneapolismn.gov.
Summary: The HERC Closure resolution has passed committee and is now headed to Council for final approval.
Background: The Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) is a trash incinerator that is located in North Minneapolis. Residents are organizing to demand the closure of the HERC, which contributes to environmental injustice and public health inequities on the North Side. I am co-authoring a resolution supporting closure of the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) along with a number of my colleagues.
Council Members Chowdhury and Cashman made one amendment to the resolution at the Climate and Infrastructure (C&I) Committee. The Committee voted to support the resolution as amended. It now goes to Council for final approval. I look forward to adopting the HERC resolution and advancing the city’s zero waste goals.
Key votes: The Climate and Infrastructure Committee approved the HERC Closure resolution on October 29th, and the final vote will be at the Council Meeting on October 31st at 9:30am.
Summary: Council is considering an ordinance that would give affordable housing organizations the right of first refusal to buy properties that are for sale.
Background: Council has been discussing ways to support rental housing affordability through an opportunity to purchase model since at least 2019. Council Member Ellison has worked with the executive administration and conducted extensive community engagement and is now authoring an ordinance called Affordable Housing Right of First Refusal.
Staff gave a presentation that outlines the details of the ordinance. Essentially, the ordinance would establish a list of Qualified Organizations (QOs). For buildings with 1-20 units, a QO may be a non-profit, for-profit, or government entity. For buildings with 20+ units, it may only be a nonprofit entity. QOs may not have outstanding tax delinquencies or significant code violations, and for larger buildings they must have a history of working with tenants and diverse communities.
The ordinance then outlines a timeline for the seller to notify QOs and the city of their intent to sell. This initiates a process that allows QOs first priority at purchasing the property at market value. If the QO buys the property, they agree to maintain specific affordability levels and renter protections.
The ordinance would apply to 1-4 unit rental homes up to certain assessed value, and 5+ unit properties older than 30 years that have had at least one unit affordable at 50% AMI in the last 5 years. It would NOT apply to homesteaded properties, 1-4 unit buildings over certain assessed value, 5+ unit properties newer than 30 years, 5+ unit properties with zero affordable units in the last 5 years, LIHTC properties & other subsidized housing, properties conveyed via estate, foreclosure, trust, or will, or single-family homes sold to current tenant for purchase.
At the Committee meeting, there was public testimony by residents in support of the policy. There was also testimony primarily by real estate lobbyists in opposition. The committee had a robust discussion which included clearing up some misconceptions of the policy’s impact, as well as general conversation about how it relates to goals around homeownership, rent stabilization, and public housing.
I am strongly supportive of this policy. While no single policy will address the housing crisis, this policy will advance many of our housing equity goals and I look forward to voting in support of it.
Key votes: The Business Housing and Zoning Committee voted 5-0-1 to forward the ordinance without recommendation. The full Council will consider the item on October 31st.
Summary: Council is moving towards passage of cannabis regulation policies that lay out our local approach to legalization.
Background: The Business, Housing and Zoning (BHZ) Committee has been working with city staff in the Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) Department to write ordinances regulating cannabis sales and usage in Minneapolis. Since cannabis was legalized at the state level last year, cities now must develop policies to answer specific questions about where, when, and how cannabis sales and consumption can happen.
CPED staff gave a presentation and wrote a report with attachments to guide committee action. This week, the BHZ Committee discussed the proposed ordinance. Council Member Chowdhury brought forward an amendment which was approved that establishes the perimeter between a dispensary and a school or between two dispensaries at 300 feet, the same as the perimeter around a liquor store. The committee approved the ordinance as amended and it now goes to Council for final approval.
Key votes: On October 22nd, the Business, Housing and Zoning Committee voted to approve the ordinance as amended. Council will vote on final approval on October 31st at 9:30am. Residents can submit written testimony any time to CouncilComment@minneapolismn.gov.
I had the honor of speaking at the Radical Leadership Summit hosted by the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota and The Coven. I participated on a panel that brought together speakers with diverse experiences practicing radical leadership. Thank you for this great opportunity to build community and learn together!
Council Member Wonsley at the Radical Leadership Summit
Crews are preparing to sweep streets across Minneapolis this month and November to clean the streets before winter. Street sweeping helps keep leaves and debris out of the storm drains and from ending up in our lakes and creeks and the Mississippi River.
Minneapolis Public Works began the big task of curb-to-curb street sweeping throughout the city Oct. 22. During the four weeks of the comprehensive fall street sweep, crews will clean about 1,000 miles of city streets.
To make sure crews can do the best job possible, temporary hot pink “No Parking” signs will be posted at least 24 hours in advance so streets will be clear of cars when they’re swept. Anyone who parks on the street will need to follow posted parking rules or their cars may be ticketed and towed.
The street sweeping schedule map shows which week your street is scheduled to be swept. On the weekend before your week, you can look up which day your street is scheduled for.
Find ways to stay informed of the parking rules.
Please take a survey on the New Nicollet redevelopment. The City plans to construct Nicollet Avenue between Lake Street and Cecil Newman Lane beginning in 2025. After the road is constructed, the City will work in partnership to develop the remaining site into a high-density, mixed-use, walkable area.
The project team wants to hear from you: the people who live, work and play here. We want to hear about your priorities and desires for the site, so we can reflect that in the redevelopment.
Survey
The City recently launched Phase III of engagement to ask for input on the priorities for property uses and buildings on the New Nicollet site. Phase III engagement is now focused on gathering community input through a survey:
Please take the survey in English, Spanish or Somali and share it with your networks. The survey closes at 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15.
Visit the https://www2.minneapolismn.gov/government/programs-initiatives/new-nicollet/.
Please reach out by email with any questions.
Leadership with the City of Minneapolis has postponed the Trans Equity Summit, originally taking place on Oct. 30. The decision comes after engaging with a broad coalition of Twin Cities area LGBTQ+ leaders, particularly those in the trans and gender non-conforming community.
The free summit will be rescheduled in the next few months as the City continues to work alongside a broad group of community leaders and the summit planning team to shape this event and ensure it is a meaningful, productive and inclusive experience for attendees.
The City will provide additional information as soon as it is available.
With Election Day just a couple weeks away, the main Early Vote Center, 980 E. Hennepin Ave., is extending voting hours. Elections & Voter Services is also opening two more early voting sites. Anyone who can vote in Minneapolis on Election Day can vote early at these sites or any of the pop-up voting events regardless of where they live in the city.
Urban League at 2100 Plymouth Ave. N. and Bethel Lutheran Church at 4120 17th Ave. S. are also open to serve Minneapolis voters.
The last day of early voting is Monday, Nov. 4, which is the day before Election Day, and hours Nov. 4 are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Find all the early voting dates, times and locations on the City website.
One-day in-person early voting locations
Minneapolis residents can visit one of our remaining one-day pop-up early voting locations to cast their ballot. Each of these sites is open one day only between Oct. 22 and Nov. 1.
Find pop-up voting locations, dates and other details on the City website.
Early voting by mail
Voters can apply to vote by mail and check on the status of their mailed ballot on the City’s website. We recommend applying for a mail ballot no later than Oct. 29. Consider applying earlier if you plan to both receive your ballot by mail and mail your ballot back. Ballots can also be dropped off at any early voting location during voting hours. Your ballot must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted. Ballots may be dropped off until 8 p.m. on Election Day at Election & Voter Services, 980 E. Hennepin Ave. Ballots may not be returned to the polls on Election Day.
Preparing for Election Day
If you’re planning to cast your ballot on Election Day, Nov. 5:
The Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services Division is responsible for administering elections in the City of Minneapolis. For information about registering and voting in Minneapolis, go to the City website.
The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board (MPRB) is launching a Private Property Tree Removal Retroactive Relief Program to support homeowners affected by the spread of Emerald Ash Borer and the loss of ash trees. Eligible property owners can apply for partial rebates to ease the financial burden caused by tree removal assessments between 2020 and 2022. Applications opened on October 21, 2024, and close on November 15, 2024. Eligibility is limited to properties located within a census tract designated as disadvantaged through the Climate and Economic Justice Screening tool and had a private property tax levy trees due to the Emerald Ash Borer. Information, applications, and eligibility requirements can be found on the MPRB website. For more information, contact MPRB Finance at assessments@minneapolisparks.org or 612-230-6400.
Contact Ward 2
Visit: minneapolismn.gov/ward2
Email: ward2@minneapolismn.gov
Phone: 612-673-2202
We've moved while work is being done in City Hall. Our office is in:
Room 100, Public Service Center
250 South 4th St.
Get directions
For reasonable accommodations or alternative format please contact 311. People who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay service to call 311 at 612-673-3000. TTY users call 612-263-6850. Para ayuda, llame al 311. Rau kev pab, hu 311. Hadii aad caawimaad u baahantahay, wac 311. |
