|
Dear neighbor,
After three very long days of debate, discussion, and negotiations; and after many months of meetings, research, and community engagement; the Council passed a 2025 City budget at 11:55 p.m. on Tuesday night. When the Mayor released his budget in August, he proposed an 8.1% increase in the tax levy. Working alongside my Council colleagues, we passed 72 budget amendments that ultimately lowered the Mayor’s proposed tax increase of 8.1% tax levy to a 6.8% tax levy.
I was disappointed when Mayor Frey recklessly vetoed the budget on Wednesday, risking the jobs of more than 4,000 employees as well as all of the vital services that the City provides. Just as a supermajority of the Council voted to approve most of the budget amendments that we passed, I joined a majority of the City Council to override that veto yesterday, averting a potential budget crisis. I, together with most of my Council colleagues, believe that the City’s budget is too important to use as a tool for political points. Thankfully, at the end of the day, common sense prevailed and 9 of the 13 Council Members ensured that roads will be plowed, potholes will be filled, and that we have a City budget that reflects the values of Ward 9 and Minneapolis.
Among the 72 amendments that we passed, I was proud to be the lead author on 17 of them and co-author on 12 of them. These amendments were developed in partnership with residents and advocates across the 9th Ward, as well as City staff, so I want to thank everyone that helped us in this work.
The 17 amendments that I authored totaled $3.3 million, and they will benefit the residents and businesses in Ward 9, while making all of us safer. The 12 amendments that I co-authored totaled $5.3 million, and they will benefit the residents and businesses in Ward 9 and across the City. (Note: On amendments with multiple authors, the first Council Member listed is the lead author.)
Housing and Homelessness
Stable Homes Stable Schools Expansion Program (Passed 13-0)
-
Authors: Council Members Chavez, Payne, and Chowdhury
-
Description: Minneapolis Public Schools has seen a 30 percent increase in homelessness. This will fund an expansion of the Stable Homes Stable School program with an Early Childhood Prevention Pilot Program and a Middle School Pilot Program to reduce homelessness. By funding these pilot expansions, Minneapolis Public Housing Authority estimates an additional 180-225 families (representing 440-565 children) could be served by the program.
-
Amount: $830,500 one-time
Avivo Village Stabilization and Shelter Operations Grant (Passed 12-1)
-
Authors: Council Members Ellison, Chavez, and Chowdhury
-
Description: This funding will help stabilize the shelter operations of Avivo Village to prevent losing needed services meant to address homelessness. This shelter is a first-ever, indoor community of 100 secure, private dwellings or “tiny houses” that provides shelter and wraparound services to individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
-
Amount: $1.6 million one-time
Public Safety Improvement Low-Barrier Employment Pilot Program (Passed 9-4)
-
Authors: Council Members Chavez, Osman, and Wonsley
-
Description: This funding will help establish a program that is designed to improve public safety by helping employ adults encountering homelessness or housing instability with sustainable low-barrier work and income and increasing the cleanliness and livability of the Southside Green Zone. The program will create teams of workers who will focus on cleaning this area that is disproportionately impacted by public safety, homelessness, and cleanliness issues.
-
Amount: $285,000 one-time
Public Health Response to Unsheltered Homelessness (Passed 13-0)
-
Authors: Council Members Chughtai, Chavez, and Chowdhury
-
Description: This funding will help ensure there is an adequate public health approach to encampments. This will provide storage of items during evictions of encampments, handwashing stations near encampments to minimize and prevent the spread of infections, funding to provide portable bathrooms and funding for an agreement with Hennepin County for the continuum of care for shelter providers and warming shelters.
-
Amount: $515,000 ongoing
Safe Outdoor Space Program/Safe Parking Program (Passed 10-3)
-
Authors: Council Members Chowdhury, Chughtai, and Chavez
-
Description: This funding will help establish a program that will provide a secure overnight space for people living in their vehicles. Providing safe parking spaces for people living in vehicles may be an effective early intervention model, helping to prevent some people from sliding further into homelessness. This funding will help work with an organization(s) to establish a pilot in Minneapolis.
- Amount: $98,664
Social Housing Study (Passed 9-4)
-
Authors: Council Members Payne, Ellison, Chowdhury, Wonsley, Chughtai, Osman, and Chavez
-
Description: This will provide resources for a study by subject matter experts on how the City of Minneapolis could support the development of social housing, which is a form of public housing that is permanently and deeply affordable, under community control, and exists outside of the speculative real estate market.
-
Amount: $50,000 one-time.
Community Safety and Public Health
Traffic Calming Funding (Passed 13-0)
-
Authors: Council Members Wonsley, Ellison, Cashman, Chavez, Koski, Chowdhury, and Chughtai.
-
Description: Funding to address the backlog of over 850 traffic calming projects to make streets safe for all.
-
Amount: $1.5 million one-time
Public Health Specialist in the Southside Green Zone (Passed 8-5)
-
Authors: Council Members Chavez and Osman
-
Description: This proposal will fund a Public Health Specialist in the Health Department that will address needle litter in the area and will include community and contract work. My office heard of multiple examples where children are not allowed to use playgrounds or play outside due to the number of needles that are littering the area and this is meant to tackle that.
-
Amount: $117,900 ongoing
Let Everyone Advance with Dignity Program (Passed 13-0)
-
Authors: Council Members Chavez and Chowdhury
-
Description: This funding will continue the City of Minneapolis’s contract with Let Everyone Advance with Dignity (LEAD) into 2025. Focused on the East Lake Street corridor, LEAD Minneapolis is building a better approach to the crime, suffering, and harms that can stem from unmet behavioral health needs, homelessness, and/or extreme poverty.
-
Amount: $250,000 one-time.
Longfellow Neighborhood Safety Initiatives (Passed 11-2)
-
Authors: Council Member Chavez and Chowdhury
-
Description: The funding will help combat crime and violence in the Longfellow neighborhood. This funding would bring more eyes on the ground to help improve safety conditions for the area.
-
Amount: $150,000 one-time.
Little Earth Area Community Outreach and Safety Program (Passed 12-1)
-
Authors: Council Members Chavez
-
Description: This funding will be allocated to a community-based organization(s) in Little Earth and the immediate surrounding area to hire local residents to work on safety strategies, which include outreach, neighborhood beautification, mediation, door-knocking, and referral to services for residents.
-
Amount: $150,000 ongoing.
Midtown Phillips Violence Prevention and Safety Services (Passed 12-1)
-
Authors: Council Members Chavez and Osman
-
Description: This funding will help partner with an organization that will support programming for culturally relevant outreach programs for youth violence prevention and mentorship to support crime reduction around religious institutions in the Midtown Phillips neighborhood. There is a growing need in the Midtown Phillips neighborhood to support youth and address the ongoing challenges in the area surrounding the Abubakar As-Saddique Islamic Center, where violence and Islamophobia has intensified. The second component will be for a one-time public health approach program to help reduce the impact of violence in the Midtown Phillips neighborhood to address the ongoing safety concerns with a public health approach.
-
Amount: $200,000 one-time.
Safe and Thriving Communities Implementation and Pilot Programs (Passed 12-0)
-
Authors: Council Members Wonsley and Chavez
-
Description: This funding will help create new community safety programs in violence prevention, unarmed response, and/or healing and restorative services as outlined in the Safe and Thriving Communities Plan.
-
Amount: $500,000 one-time.
Safe and Thriving Communities Work Group (Passed 7-4)
-
Authors: Council Members Wonsley and Chavez
-
Description: This will provide a budget to staff and support a community Work Group that will focus on supporting the implementation of the Safe and Thriving Communities Report and Plan, and will provide guidance on the new “Safety Center” model starting with the South Minneapolis Community Safety Center/3rd Precinct.
-
Amount: $25,000 ongoing.
Neighborhood Safety Department Staff (Passed 9-3)
-
Authors: Council Members Wonsley and Chavez
-
Description: This will add one full-time contract administrator and one full-time business data analyst to the Neighborhood Safety Department to help the department have more capacity and produce more specific and measurable data for internal operations and public clarity.
-
Amount: $271,798 ongoing for two full-time employees.
Economic Development and Inclusion
Street Vendor Entrepreneur Grant and Compliance Program (Passed 9-4)
-
Authors: Council Members Chavez and Chowdhury
-
Description: This program will provide a pathway for food vendors in the City of Minneapolis to legally operate, contribute to the local economy, and create a more inclusive and thriving street vending environment in Minneapolis. This will directly assist food vendors by helping them with business start-up costs to acquire the necessary means to comply with City regulations and to operate their businesses lawfully. This ensures that vendors can continue to sell fresh food and snacks while adhering to health and safety standards to protect the community at large.
-
Amount: $150,000 one-time
COPAL’s Center for Community Engagement Development on 2905 East Lake Street (Passed 9-4)
-
Authors: Council Members Chavez and Chowdhury
-
Description: This funding will support a 24,000 square foot building that was damaged during the 2020 civil unrest with capital costs for construction and development. This project represents a pivotal step in empowering the community and has a goal of building economic development on Lake Street. It is a return of land ownership to local residents and reinforces Latinos’ historical presence along Lake Street. This development will help build power with and fulfill the ambitions of a young and diverse community, fostering pride and belonging. This center will be a vibrant hub of unity, celebration, and cultural exchange.
-
Amount: $300,000 one-time.
One Southside Clinic Project 1000 East Lake Street (Passed 9-4)
-
Authors: Council Members Chavez and Chughtai
-
Description: The funding will support capital costs for construction and development of a health community clinic and wellness center located within the historically significant East Lake Street community of South Minneapolis. New services will include a diagnostic laboratory, radiology, and a mammography suite. The project will also allow Southside to bring its administrative staff and staff operating in satellite offices under one roof. Nearly 100 percent of Southside patients are publicly insured or uninsured.
-
Amount: $250,000 one-time.
Mercado Central Economic Development Project on 1515 East Lake Street (Passed 9-4)
-
Authors: Council Members Chavez
-
Description: Mercado Central is a marketplace of over 25 Latino/Hispanic businesses at the corner of Lake Street and Bloomington Ave. This proposal hopes to curb disparities by addressing economic development challenges by improving the building to help bring back customers, support the entrepreneurs of the mall, and ensure the success of this important asset to the Latino community, the Lake Street corridor, and the City of Minneapolis.
-
Amount: $250,000 one-time.
Mni Sota Fund Indigenous Wealth Building Center Development Project (Passed 9-4)
-
Authors: Osman, Payne, Chavez
-
Description: This will provide funding to support the creation of the Mni Sota Fund Indigenous Wealth Building Center, a facility aimed at advancing economic empowerment, environmental sustainability, and cultural preservation for Indigenous communities in Minneapolis.
-
Amount: $250,000
Rise Up Center (Passed 9-4)
-
Authors: Cashman, Chavez, and Chughtai
-
Description: This funding supports the development of the Rise Up Center through the initial steps from redevelopment to construction. This is an opportunity center and an energy resilience hub where multiracial, low-income, working families can access pre-apprenticeships, jobs, and job readiness training in the fields of green energy, construction, service, and food.
-
Amount: $100,000
Latino Business Week (Passed 12-1)
-
Authors: Council Members Chavez and Ellison
-
Description: These funds will be used by the Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) Department to support the continuation of Minneapolis Latino Business Week.
-
Amount: $70,000 ongoing
Environmental Justice
Carbon Emissions Mitigation Staffing (Passed 13-0)
-
Authors: Council Members Wonsley, Cashman, Chavez, Chowdhury, and Chughtai
-
Description: Per the recommendation of sustainability staff, we added one full-time employee to support the implementation of a carbon emissions fee on the largest polluters in the city.
-
Amount: $149,617 ongoing for one full-time employee, and $125,000 one-time
Urban Farm Program – Community Ownership and Operation (Passed 9-4)
-
Authors: Council Members Chavez and Chowdhury
-
Description: This funding will provide a loan or grant to an organization in an underserved area to purchase land with a goal to help local community growers decolonize food systems, address food insecurity and poverty, build cultural empowerment, and support youth employment initiatives.
-
Amount: $50,000 one-time
Electric Wheelchair, Scooter, and Mobility Aid and Phone Charging Stations Feasibility Study (Passed 13-0)
-
Authors: Council Members Chavez and Jenkins
-
Description: This funding will focus on research that includes evaluation of technology and collaboration with the disability community to see what it would take to implement an Electric Wheelchair, Scooter, and Mobility Aid and Phone Charging Stations programs across the city to improve disability justice.
-
Amount: $15,000 one-time
Equity and Inclusion
LGBTQIA+ Mental Health Program (Passed 12-1)
-
Authors: Council Members Chavez
-
Description: This will fund a contract with a community organization to establish an LGBTQIA+ Mental Health Program. LGBTQIA+ individuals are significantly more likely to experience mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts compared to non-LGBTQIA+ people.
-
Amount: $25,000 one-time
Minneapolis Welcome and Labor Center (13-0)
-
Authors: Council Members Chavez, Chughtai, and Osman
-
Description: This proposal will assist in conducting community engagement and research to meet the growing needs of newcomers, immigrants, refugees, and community members in Minneapolis and will help establish a one-stop location for services.
-
Amount: $50,000 one-time
Driver’s License Education and Access Program (11-2)
-
Authors: Council Members Chavez and Chughtai
-
Description: This will fund a program meant to increase access to driver's licenses by providing classes on driver's education and preparing community members for the written and knowledge tests. The funding will enable a significant expansion of the driving knowledge program and could fund critical components, such as a program lead, driving instructors, community outreach, classroom space, and educational materials. This is of greater importance since the creation of the “Drivers Licenses for All” Bill passed by the State Legislature.
-
Amount: $50,000 one-time
Immigration Legal Services Funding (13-0)
-
Authors: Council Members Wonsley, Chavez, Chughtai, and Osman
-
Description: Supporting pro-bono legal services for individuals in the immigration legal system, with a priority for children and unaccompanied minors.
-
Amount: $150,000 ongoing.
These proposals were all developed through extensive community engagement. I take every call, email, and message seriously and figure out ways to bring resources to address it using our policy making process to improve your lives.
Best,
Jason Chavez |
