|
In my previous newsletter, I shared a list of the budget amendments that I authored and submitted for approval by the Council. The packet with all 73 amendments submitted by the full Council can be found here.
The amendments that I authored are in partnership with Ward 9 residents and are focused on making investments in our communities. Some examples include public safety investments across the Ward, funding for LGBTQIA+ and equity programs, rebuilding our economic corridors and investing in our street vendors, tackling homelessness and funding shelters, and investing in traffic calming and basic city services. So while the mayor and his administration are calling these “pet projects” and “wants rather than needs,” I will always fight for making investments in the residents and small businesses of Ward 9 and Minneapolis as a whole. It is unacceptable to come in at the last hour and ask the Council to withdraw a number of the 73 proposed amendments. I am sending this newsletter today after hearing from Immigrant community members who felt disrespected by the Mayor’s comments.
Yesterday morning, we started the process of going through the amendments, debating, amending some of them further, passing some of them and rejecting others. With the significant volume of amendments that need to go through the legislative process, yesterday’s meeting provided insufficient time to get through them all. We have additional meetings scheduled for Monday and Tuesday of next week to ensure we have enough time to finish the process. At this time, the Council voted and lowered the Mayor’s proposal from an 8.1% Levy increase to a 6.9% Levy increase.
I will be discussing the process and what ultimately passed at our next community office hours, with more information below.
 Please join our next community office hours on Friday, December 13th. We will be at Wildflyer Coffee (3262 Minnehaha Ave. S.) from 8:30AM - 10:00AM, where we will be discussing the budget process.
The Office of Police Conduct Review (OPCR) is an agency that investigates allegations of police misconduct made to the City of Minneapolis. OPCR works to keep police accountable and build community trust while investigating cases, researching studies, and reviewing policies.
I brought forward a legislative directive related to OCPR’s processes. Police accountability, reform, and community solutions are important to addressing community safety in Minneapolis. My legislative directive will provide an update to the City Council on the work related to OCPR, it will provide explanations on ways to support and improve the work, and it will allow the Council to make informed decisions.
Specifically, it will provide a description of OPCR’s current complaint intake process and any recent improvements, including any measures OPCR has instituted to facilitate community’s access to complaint filing mechanisms. It will also provide an explanation of the OPCR complaint handling process from complaint filing to conclusion, including a description of OPCR’s processes and systems designed to enable the efficient, fair, timely, and thorough handling of complaints.
Additionally, it will provide an explanation of the measures OPCR has implemented to address the current backlog of cases and OPCR’s plans to prevent future backlogs. Lastly, it will provide an explanation of the measures, processes, procedures, and steps needed to establish City sites in community to facilitate access to OPCR’s complaint filing mechanisms.
The mayor’s administration will need to present the information requested in my legislative directive no later than February 2025.
 From the day I was sworn in as a Council Member, my office has been working with residents, small businesses, the Lake Street Greenway Partnership, and community to establish a Lake Street Safety Center. The Council passed a budget amendment that I authored in 2022 to start the initial work on the project and, together with Council Members Koski and Chowdhury, we secured $500,000 last year to establish this location through another budget amendment.
The Lake Street Safety Center, located at 2228 E. Lake St. next to the METRO Light Rail Lake Street/Midtown Station, opened a couple weeks ago. The safety center features both City and community-based resources and social services. More service providers are now available for the community.
Service providers in the center include:
- Community navigators. They provide cultural or issue-specific support to victims and survivors of crimes.
- Crime prevention specialists. They can help you with safety concerns and resolve conflicts.
- Lake Street safety coordinator. The Lake Street safety coordinator can help business and property owners in the area.
- LEAD Minneapolis. They provide care and support to people needing services in the East Lake Street corridor.
- Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches. They offer peer recovery support for the East African Community struggling with substance use disorder. They offer housing services, such as rental help and rapid rehousing.
- City’s 311 department safety center agents. Community members can walk in five days a week and get help with non-emergency issues and information on City services. The safety center agents can also connect you with the right support service, depending on your needs.
For more information on the services and their office hours, visit the City website. 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.
Host a meeting at the safety center
Community members can now request to book the conference room to host a meeting. The room comfortably seats eight people. Wi-Fi and a large screen TV with HDMI hookup is available. Groups must bring their own laptop and any other equipment they need.
You can learn more about how to book the conference room on the City website.
Come get a progress update on the South Minneapolis Community Safety Center and Lake Street Safety Center. Hear about services and resources in the centers and how your feedback is being used to shape plans. Any Minneapolis community member is welcome to attend.
Online 5:30-6:30 p.m. Dec. 17 Check the City website for the Zoom link when it’s available.
City staff will be available for a Q&A after the presentation. Community members can also learn more about other safety programs in the city.
Learn more on the event flyer in English, Español, Af-Soomaali, Hmoob and Oromo.
Find more information on the City website.
If you recycle or compost through the City’s collection program, here’s guidance on getting rid of an item:
If you don’t have City collection, check Hennepin County's Green Disposal Guide.
How to dispose of common holiday items
-
Holiday lights: Post usable holiday lights on Buy Nothing, another social media exchange site, or bring to a donation center. Bring non-working holiday lights and holiday lights that were not accepted for donation to a Hennepin County drop-off site.
-
Pie tins, trays and aluminum foil: Recycle aluminum pie tins, trays and foil balls that have minimal food debris in your recycling cart. Aluminum foil must be in a ball at least 3 inches in size to be properly sorted.
-
Gift wrap and bags: Reuse gift bags. Most wrapping paper is not recyclable and needs to be put in the trash. Only plain kraft paper gift wrap is accepted for recycling in your recycling cart. Make sure wrapping paper is flattened and not balled so it can be properly sorted. Consider alternatives to paper gift wrap and sticker gift labels.
-
Cartons: Cartons are accepted for recycling in your recycling cart. Keep them in their three-dimensional shape. They’re kept separate from other paper and shipped to special paper mills that can manage the layers of plastic and aluminum.
See Hennepin County’s checklist for gift wrap alternatives and other ways to reduce waste this holiday seasons.
A lot of people have extra recycling this time of year. Here’s how to set out extra recycling on your recycling day:
- For boxes that do not fit in your recycling cart, you can place them next to your recycling cart in another box. Keep boxes set outside of the cart to less than 3' x 3' and under 40 pounds. This is for safety and proper sorting.
- Put any extra bottles and cans next to your recycling cart in cardboard boxes or paper bags. (If you use plastic bags, the entire bag will be disposed of as garbage.)
Remember there's no charge to get another recycling cart. If you regularly have more recycling that will fit in your cart(s), contact the Garbage, Recycling, and Cleanup office at 612-673-2917 to request another cart.
Are your windows and walls drafty? Is your energy bill too high? Save money, make your home more comfortable and help the environment through the City’s Green Cost Share program. Depending on where you live, the City offers up to $14,000 in rebates to make energy-efficient home improvements.
Getting started
Watch the video to learn how to get started making your home warmer this winter or go to the City's website for details on how to apply.
Lights out on parkways or in parks? Know where to report the outage
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.
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.
The Arts & Culture Vibrant Storefronts initiative will subsidize rent in vacant storefronts for five local arts organizations. This new pilot initiative’s inaugural awardees are Blackbird Revolt, Black Business Enterprises, Flavor World, Twin Cities Pride and Skntones.
In its first year, the Arts & Culture Vibrant Storefronts fund will distribute awards totaling $224,202 to foster creativity, enhance vibrancy and promote sustainability in Minneapolis.
Read more on the City website.
 The City of Minneapolis is organizing the Feb. 8, 2025, Community Connections Conference around the power of participating in your community and local decision-making. The theme is “Participation is Power: Speak, Act, Grow.” The conference is an annual free event that connects Minneapolis residents, community groups, neighborhoods and local government.
Volunteer or exhibit
We welcome volunteers to help spread the word about the conference and to volunteer on the day.
We also invite everyone in the community to share information, skills, resources and opportunities through exhibitor booths.
Apply for your exhibit space by 11:59 p.m. Dec. 13. We are especially looking for informative, fun, interactive exhibits for both children and adults. Exhibit space is free for nonprofits and public institutions, and conference partners will also have booth spaces.
Learn more and sign up online.
Read more on the City website.
Using new state and federal funding, the City of Minneapolis has started work to replace aging water infrastructure for property owners across the city. The City has completed a citywide inventory of all water service lines. The water service line is the pipe that runs from the water main in the street to the meter inside a property. In Minneapolis, the entire water service line is owned by the property owner.
Residents who have either a lead water service line, a galvanized water service line requiring replacement or a water service line of unknown material will receive a letter from the City. The letter has information about the water service line material, steps that can be taken to minimize lead exposure in drinking water, and an update on the City’s effort to replace lead water service lines. You can find an interactive map of the water service line inventory on the City’s website.
How we know our tap water is safe
Minneapolis water is tested hundreds of times a day to ensure it’s safe to drink, and it has always met all federal drinking water standards for lead. The water is treated to make sure lead from pipes does not get into the water.
This year, using the new grant funds, we began proactively replacing lead service lines at no cost to the homeowner. In total, we will replace around 400 lead service lines using grant funds in 2024 with a plan to replace 1,000 in 2025. This effort will continue until we have replaced or attempted to replace every lead service line in the city (replacement requires the property owner’s consent). It is important to note this is not an opt-in program. The state legislation requires us to prioritize replacement based on:
- Focusing on areas with lower-income residents and other disadvantaged communities.
- Focusing on areas with children with elevated blood lead levels.
- Coordinating the replacement of lead service lines with other capital improvement projects for the most efficient use of grant funding.
You can find more information on the City website.
Contact the Ward 9 Office
Email: jason.chavez@minneapolismn.gov
Phone: 612-673-2209
We've moved while work is being done in City Hall. Our office is in:
Room 100, Public Service Center
450 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. |
