|
Summary: Council adopted the Labor Standards Board.
Background: Council Vice President Chughtai and Council Members Chowdhury and Cashman coauthored a resolution to create a labor standards board. This advisory body would convene sectoral workgroups that bring together employers, employees, and consumer advocates in a specific industry to work together on creating a proposal for regulations, policies, and programs to improve labor standards in that industry.
Council had extensive debate and discussion on this item, which you can watch here starting at 0:52:25. After votes on several amendments, the final resolution establishing the board was approved 9-3.
Thank you to the Council authors and all the workers and community members who organized around this proposal. It always takes robust social movements and labor organizing to win real improvements for working people. I believe that the Labor Standards Board can be an important tool to advance this work going forward.
Key votes: Council adopts the Labor Standards Board 9-3. Council Members Rainville, Vetaw, and Palmisano voted in opposition.
Summary: Over 30 residents gave public comment and many submitted written comments to share their perspectives on the city’s actions in the cases involving Davis Moturi and John Sawchak.
Background: On October 23rd, a Ward 8 resident named Davis Moturi was shot by his next door neighbor John Sawchak. Mr. Moturi is a Black man who had been reaching out to MPD starting in February of this year and made dozens of reports via 911 and 311 about the specific threats and actions taken by his neighbor. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO) issued an arrest warrant for John Sawchak in July, but the Minneapolis Police Department did not execute the warrant. On October 25th, two days after the shooting, I and several of my colleagues learned what had happened and also learned that MPD had still not arrested Mr. Sawchak, despite the fact that he shot Mr. Moturi two days prior and the HCAO had issued a warrant for attempted murder. I and my colleagues wrote a letter to Mayor Frey and Chief O’Hara asking for an immediate arrest of Mr. Sawchak and accountability for the failure to protect Mr. Moturi. Mayor Frey and Chief O’Hara did not take any accountability for the situation until receiving the letter from Council leadership, at which point they began to admit the obvious, that the city failed Mr. Moturi.
At the Committee of the Whole Meeting on October 29, Council President Payne created an opportunity for Council to discuss the disturbing event, during which we discussed the need for an independent review of the city’s actions and failures. You can watch that conversation here starting at 0:11:30.
A heartbreaking series of emails from Mr. Moturi to MPD raises many questions about how and why Chief O’Hara and MPD leadership, Commission Barnette, and Mayor Frey allowed this to happen. The City Council has a responsibility to figure out how and why this lapse occurred and then carry out full accountability for any individual actors or city policies that allowed it to happen. Given this, I worked with my colleagues to author a motion requesting that the City Auditor undertake an independent After Action Review of the cases involving Davis Moturi and John Sawchak. This motion passed Council unanimously on October 31st.
Residents also attended the meeting on October 31st to share their thoughts with the Council. In response to this, I worked with my colleagues to create a public comment period for residents to share their thoughts with us on the record. Over 30 residents attended the public comment period this week and shared powerful comments about how this incident reflects deep failures within MPD that have been harming residents and communities for decades. I recommend all residents watch the testimony and review the written testimony that was submitted.
This is an incredibly traumatic and challenging topic for many residents, and I appreciate everyone for taking the time and energy to share their thoughts and perspectives. Going forward, I am committed to continuing to work with community members and my colleagues to get a full understanding of how MPD, the Office of Community Safety, and the Mayor allowed this to happen, take action for accountability, and also ensure that there are not other residents, particularly Black residents, who are receiving substandard protection by MPD.
I am following up with the City Auditor to confirm that he will be fulfilling Council’s request to conduct an investigation, and determine whether that will be done in-house or through a contract.
Key votes: No votes taken.
Summary: The Frey administration is proposing a plan for George Floyd Square that does not fully align with resident priorities.
Background: The Frey administration presented their proposed vision for George Floyd Square, and Council had an extensive discussion on it which you can watch here starting at 01:12:00.
I had the opportunity to go to a community-led Town Hall on the future of George Floyd Square the week prior to this presentation. Residents emphasized that there has been a persistent refusal by the city to listen to the immediate neighbors. Those concerns were echoed by many residents who attended the Committee meeting to speak about the city’s actions in the case of Davis Moturi, which was the same day as the Frey administration’s presentation on George Floyd Square. Several community members testified about the parallel between the city’s failure to protect Mr. Moturi and the city’s failure to listen to Black residents about the future of George Floyd Square.
Community members have asked Council to work with them to bring forward a plan that is aligned with their alternative proposal. I look forward to working with the Council Members who represent the area and with residents to ensure that the needs and priorities of residents are centered in the process and in the final design.
Key votes: No votes taken. The Frey administration will be bringing forward a concept plan for approval by the Climate and Infrastructure Committee on November 21st.
Summary: Council approved a legislative directive I authored to help ensure Council and the public has access to ongoing information about the implementation of the settlement agreement.
Background: I have received many questions from my colleagues about the city’s progress on implementing the settlement agreement, how the city’s work relates to the work of the Independent Evaluator, and how residents can provide input if they believe they have seen conduct by MPD that violates their current policies or the terms of the settlement agreement. In order to ensure that the Council and the public all have access to accurate, updated information about implementation, I authored a legislative directive that asks the City Attorney’s Office to present updates on implementation of the settlement agreement starting in January of 2025 and continuing quarterly throughout the year.
The public comment period that Council hosted on the city’s actions involving Davis Moturi makes it clear that MPD’s history of racial discrimination continues to damage public trust in the city and that residents want full transparency around how MPD is or is not making progress on complying with human rights law. I look forward to receiving regular updates throughout 2025.
Key votes: Council unanimously approves legislative directive to receive quarterly reports on the settlement agreement throughout 2025.
Summary: Council approved a staff direction I authored to explore methods to expand municipal revenue through sources other than property taxes.
Background: Property taxes are a primary source of revenue for the city, but the recent loss of the downtown tax base has put a significant burden on working class homeowners and renters. Expanding and diversifying revenue sources has the potential to shift the burden off of residents and increase revenue through more progressive strategies. I authored a staff direction for the Legislative Department’s Policy and Research division to evaluate the sources of municipal revenue that currently support the city of Minneapolis other than property taxes, how those revenue sources compare to those of peer cities, and how they may be improved or diversified.
Key votes: Council unanimously approves staff direction to research methods to expand municipal revenue sources. Staff will present by July, 2025.
Summary: The Council approved a legislative directive I authored asking the administration to outline how their planned investments in public safety facilities aligns with the City’s long term goals.
Background: The Capital Long-Range Improvement Committee (CLIC) is an appointed body that makes recommendations to Council and the Mayor about how the city should prioritize spending on capital projects like roads, bridges, and city buildings.
In early August, the CLIC presented their annual recommendations to the Council. A key takeaway from this presentation was that the requests by MPD lacked sufficient details, in particular how their proposed capital investments in public safety buildings align with the city’s new model of public safety as outlined in the Safe and Thriving Communities Report, or even clear alignment with the requirements of the Minnesota Department of Human Rights settlement agreement.
Given this, I worked with city staff on a legislative directive regarding the proposed capital projects for public safety facilities. The intention of this directive is to learn how the proposed investments align with the city’s stated long-term goals around comprehensive public safety, racial equity, equitable development, climate, and constitutional policing. The Lake Street Safety Center and the South Minneapolis Community Safety Center are supposed to set a new model for how the city will differentiate its upcoming public safety facility projects from traditional police precincts, but it is not clear how that change is actually being reflected in the city’s 5-year capital improvement program. The legislative directive also requests a presentation on how the proposals relate to the idea of neighborhood-level safety centers, decentralized precinct substations, and/or safety centers that are operated by non-city entities.
I hope this legislative directive can help Mayor Frey’s administration improve their proposals for public safety capital projects, and to get these projects in alignment with the city’s Safe and Thriving Communities action plan, which provides our city with a roadmap on how to create a public safety system that goes beyond policing.
Key votes: The Council approved the legislative directive about proposed public safety capital projects. Staff will present by July, 2025.
Summary: Staff is working to implement the vacant building ordinance to reduce the number of condemned properties.
Background: In July, Council approved an ordinance I authored to help reduce the number of condemned or boarded properties. The city has a Vacant Building Registry (VBR) program, where condemned or boarded properties pay a flat rate of $7,087 and receive services and support in rehabilitating, demolishing, and/or selling the property. However, many properties were abusing this program and simply paying the fee for many years without taking any actions. The ordinance puts a time limit on a property’s eligibility in the VBR to two years, after which they are removed from the VBR and charged citations, which start at $250/month and double every month until they reach $2,000/month.
Staff provided an update on the progress for implementation of this policy since July. Staff shared that:
- In October, every property on the VBR list received a letter notifying them of the ordinance change.
- Administrative changes to enable citations have been completed.
- Properties with a November anniversary date (e.g., they entered the VBR in November 2022, November 2021, etc) will not be charged the annual $7,087 VBR fee. Instead, the city will begin issuing citations to those properties in December.
- Staff will then begin working through the VBR list based on the anniversary dates properties entered the program.
- Staff will be tracking impacts over the next several months and will be able to report back after the first quarter of 2025.
Key votes: No votes taken.
Summary: City staff is working to repair the Witch’s Hat and planning to open it for the public to go in several times next year.
Background: The Prospect Park Water Tower, commonly known as the Witch’s Hat, is a beloved and unique landmark. For several decades, the Tower was opened a few times a year but without a clear and accessible process for residents to understand which events were selected or how to apply. Since 2020, the Tower has been closed and the property has deteriorated to the point that it required some maintenance. My office has made it a priority to get the Tower restored so that it can be safely opened, and to establish a standardized, consistent, accessible policy for Tower opening.
In 2023, I requested an analysis of the Tower’s status and repair needs, and based on the outcomes of that analysis I led the Council to allocate $350,000 to restore the Tower. The city’s Finance and Property Services Department now has engineers assessing the restoration needs. Staff hopes to have the engineering team hired by the end of the year and will be able to make determination of timeline and estimates of total projects cost at that time. Staff believes that the Tower should be repaired and safe for entry by the spring of 2025.
After almost a year of attempts to engage the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board (MPRB) and collaborate on tower openings, MPRB has officially stated they are not interested in having any role in Tower openings. This is an unfortunate position that we hope they will reconsider in coming years.
The City of Minneapolis is planning to do one year of city-run Tower opening events in 2025. These will be city-run and staffed by city workers for the first year, in order to learn about operational needs for safe and successful openings. Following the first year, city staff will regroup to assess and determine plans for 2026 and beyond.
We consistently hear that residents want to be involved in organizing and staffing Tower openings, as this has been an important part of the neighborhood’s history and community. Neighbors have also requested to have an annual Tower-focused community meeting to hear updates and give input. My office will continue to advocate for avenues for community involvement as the city develops long-term procedures for Tower openings.
Key votes: No votes taken.
Summary: Council received an update on all the legislative actions that the Council has taken this year, which confirmed we are highly productive.
Background: The City Clerk presented a quarterly update on the Council’s legislative activity, such as passing ordinances, legislative directives, staff directives, and resolutions. The report and presentation this month affirmed that this Council is taking on priorities that matter most to residents such as public safety, affordable housing, workers’ rights, and fiscal responsibility and financial oversight of public dollars. The report also demonstrates that my office is extremely productive, as I have been an author on approximately 40% of all legislative actions taken by the entire City Council.
Key votes: No votes taken.
The new Lake Street Safety Center has opened at 2228 E. Lake St. next to the METRO Light Rail Lake Street/Midtown Station. The safety center features both City and community-based resources and social services. Community members can walk in five days a week and get help from City 311 customer service staff.
Now available, 311 staff can help with non-emergency issues and provide information on City services. They can also connect you with the right support service, depending on your needs. Services in the center so far include community navigators and crime prevention specialists. Community navigators will be in the center 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Crime prevention specialists are available three days per week 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Coming up, other partners will be in the center at varying hours and days. Soon, these organizations will operate out of the center:
- Be@School
- Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches
- Lake Street Safety Coordinator
- LEAD Minneapolis
The center is open weekdays: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Please note: The Lake Street Safety Center will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 21, for a training.
For more information on the services and office hours, visit the City website.
Yard waste collection ends for 2024 on your garbage day the week of Nov. 25-30. Make sure to properly prepare it for collection and set it out for pickup (at your curb or alley collection point) by 6 a.m. on your collection day. Yard waste must be in an approved reusable container, compostable bags (paper or BPI certified compostable plastic), or bundled with string or twine.
Read more about preparing yard waste on the City website.
With more dark hours this time of year, you might notice lights out more on parkways or in parks. If you see a light not working, contact:
For parkway lights
The City of Minneapolis 311 Service Center: Call 311, email or report it on the City website or the app.
For path and trail lights in parks
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board customer service: Call 612-230-6400 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday or email anytime.
If you witness someone damaging a light, call 911 regardless of location.
Minnesota homeowners and renters can apply for energy assistance to help keep their homes warm this winter.
By applying for Minnesota’s Energy Assistance Program, homeowners and renters may also qualify for Minnesota’s Weatherization Assistance Program and receive free home improvements to help save energy and ensure a warm, healthy, safe home.
Find more information and apply on the Minnesota Commerce Department website.
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. |
