|
Summary: Council approved the ordinance that I authored along with Council Members Ellison and Chavez to ban rent algorithms. Minneapolis will now be the third city in the nation to ban algorithms that use non-public data to advise landlords on rent and vacancy levels.
Background: Minneapolis is over 50% renters, and approximately one in seven rental units in the Twin Cities is managed using rental algorithms. In these units, renters pay an average of $312 more per year. Buildings that use these algorithms also have eviction rates that are significantly higher than buildings that are managed without them.
Big corporate landlords use these algorithms to manipulate the market and exploit renters. That’s why San Francisco and Philadelphia have already banned them, and why there is currently legislation in the Minnesota state legislature to ban them. It’s also why the Biden Department of Justice and more than 10 attorney generals, including AG Ellison, are currently suing one of the companies that provides these algorithms and six of the largest landlords in the country that use the software.
Of the six landlords that are currently under lawsuits by the Department of Justice, five operate in Minneapolis. One of these landlords, Greystar, operates several buildings in Ward 2, particularly around the University area.
Student renters are particularly vulnerable to exploitation due to many of them being first-time renters, and being constrained by the need to be close to campus. Many of these renters are forced to work multiple jobs to pay their rent to these multinational companies, or take out additional loans to pay rent. Rent costs being unaffordable is one of the top complaints that I hear from my residents and it impacts the choices that our students make about whether or not to stay in Minneapolis after they graduate. Banning algorithms that landlords use to jack up the rent is one clear way that we can prevent some of the most egregious extractive practices that landlords like Greystar are using.
Rent algorithm software has no place in a City that is equitable and affordable for renters. With this ban now approved, I look forward to continuing to work with renters, community leaders, city staff, and my colleagues on taking additional actions to ensure that every renter in Minneapolis has an affordable, safe place to call home.
Key votes: Council voted 11-2 in support of banning rent algorithms. Council Members Cashman and Palmisano voted in opposition.
Council Member Wonsley speaks alongside Council Members Ellison and Chavez and Undegraduate Student Government Local Government Liaison Siya Shelar at a press conference celebrating the Council's passage of the rent algorithms ban.
Summary: Council approved five contracts for violence interruption in the areas with the highest rates of violence, a resolution I authored asking the administration to resolicit a sixth contract for a Northside area that had previously been proposed for Salem, Inc; and a budget appropriation to maintain violence prevention services in the Cedar Riverside/Elliot Park area.
Background: On March 17, 2025, the Neighborhood Safety Department proposed six contracts for 2025 MinneapolUS Services. Subsequently, the administration requested that the proposal be returned to staff. On March 25, 2025, the administration brought forward the amended set of five contracts. Staff presentation and discussion of the new contracts revealed significant improvement in the Neighborhood Safety Department. It took an enormous amount of oversight by Council and the public to hold the Frey administration accountable and correct some of the serious mismanagement that Mayor Frey allowed to persist in the Neighborhood Safety Department over several years. However, I am very encouraged to see that our oversight is paying off, and NSD staff are finally providing data and mapping out a clear plan for their work. Data and clear plans are not something we have ever seen in the Neighborhood Safety Department under the leadership of two different Commissioners of Community Safety and one Mayor. Thank you to all the community members and my colleagues who continued to hold a high standard for these services and make it clear we weren’t going to settle for mismanagement of any public safety programs. And sincere thanks to the current NSD staff, who have shown a seriousness about this work that is exciting. I believe that we can rebuild the Neighborhood Safety Department and I am confident that if we can stay the course, residents will be safer because of it.
During the presentation and discussion of the amended set of contracts, we learned that one of the areas that needs violence interrupters may be left without service due to the Frey administration pulling the proposed contract for Salem, Inc. While I strongly support withdrawing the proposed contract for an organization led by the problematic Reverend Jerry McAfee, who recently made homophobic comments and death threats against Council Members, I and many of my colleagues were concerned that this may leave an area of the Northside potentially without the violence interruption services that are needed. Northside residents shouldn't pay for the administration’s actions by losing services.
In light of that, I authored a resolution with Council Member Ellison expressing Council support for the administration to consider resolicitation of the contract for violence interruption services in the area that had previously been covered by the Salem, Inc contract. The resolution supports maintaining the dollar amount, timeline, and geographic area of the original contract. I believe that resolicitation is the best way to ensure that needed violence interruption resources are being directed into the community through a contract with a vendor that can deliver high quality safety services in the Cure Violence model. This resolution was approved.
Lastly, Council Member Osman brought forward an allocation to ensure that there is a continuation of services in the Cedar Riverside/Elliot Park area. This area has been served by violence interrupter for the last several years, which is believed to have contributed positively to public safety in the area. NSD staff did not identify this area as having the highest rates of violence and therefore did not recommend it for a violence interruption contract, but Council Member Osman wanted to ensure that the current service level was maintained to prevent any decrease in safety. This allocation also passed utilizing a portion of the $4 million dollars of funding that my office secured to invest in safety services for the South Minneapolis Community Safety Center. I am happy that this allocation helped preserve services for our Cedar Riverside and Elliot Park neighborhoods, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the coming months to replace the funding that was used to ensure that the South Minneapolis Safety Services/3rd Precinct has funding for critical non-MPD safety services and programs as well.
Key votes: Council voted unanimously for the five MinneapolUS violence interruption contracts, and my resolution to resolicit a sixth contract. Council voted 12-1 to approve funds for public safety services in Cedar Riverside/Elliot Park. Council Member Palmisano was the only vote of opposition.
Summary: Council approved a charter school bond by a narrow margin.
Background: Council was asked to authorize host approval for the issuance of tax-exempt revenue bonds by the Public Finance Authority to finance the acquisition of a property to be for a charter school.
These types of bonds essentially allow a charter school to get financing with the backing of a local government. I vote against these bonds whenever they come before Council, because charter schools undermine the public school system. My opposition doesn’t have to do with this specific school or their programming, rather it is a principled opposition to the City of Minneapolis having any role in the financing of charter schools.
Key votes: Council voted 7-6 to approve the bond for the charter school. Council Members Cashman, Chavez, Chowdhury, Vice President Chughtai, President Payne, and I voted against it.
Summary: The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and Hennepin County are working on implementing my initiative for Emergency Housing Vouchers for 50 families and 50 individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
Background: During last year’s budget negotiations, I led the Council to allocate new, ongoing funding to support 100 Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV). These EHVs will go to 50 families and 50 individuals experiencing chronic homelessness, and will allow them to receive permanent housing and wraparound social services. This initiative was developed in close partnership with the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) and Hennepin County. A similar program had a success rate of over 90% in long-term housing stability. Staff from the City, MPHA and Hennepin County have been working to stand up and deploy the program.
MPHA staff provided an update on their implementation work. Currently, the agencies are working on establishing software, data systems, and memorandums of understanding. Next steps include staffing plans, reporting requirements, administrative fees, and program invoicing and payment processes. Staff will give a public presentation sometime in the late spring or summer to share more in depth updates, including an anticipated launch date.
Thank you to staff from the City, MPHA, and Hennepin County for your joint work to implement this program.
Key votes: No votes taken.
Summary: Office of Community Safety staff provided a high-level update on the Community Safety Ecosystem.
Background: Here are some of the highlights from an update that the Office of Community Safety sent to Council this week on progress on implementing the Safe and Thriving Communities Report and Plan.
- Prevention
- Catalog all professional safety contracts in the City, including populations served, referral sources, and fund sources.
- Identify all community-based staff who engage in community relationship building (e.g., Community Outreach Workers, Community Ambassadors, Community Liaisons, Community Navigators, Community Health Workers, etc.).
- Response
- Review the current public communications strategy regarding 311, 911, and related resources and work toward greater community understanding and usage.
- Embed mental health clinicians in MECC.
- Restoration
- Clarify and standardize the roles of community navigators (i.e., are the positions more focused on second response or community relationship building).
- Develop guidelines for public-facing dashboards to ensure the data is meaningful and usable to make decisions.
- Safety Ambassador pilot.
- Finalizing the contract .
- Pulling data to create a dashboard to determine the next geographic areas to expand to if the pilot is successful.
- Hiring dispatchers, planning training for the vendor, and finalizing the system for data tracking.
- Embedded social worker in 911
- Hennepin County has posted the position for the social worker to be embedded in 911.
- Working on data collection and training planning for this position.
- Non-injury accident response pilot
- Reanalyzing data for this pilot to better understand the potential impact and how many staff would be needed.
- Juvenile deflection pilot
- On hold while we wait to see if we are successful in our bid for the Bloomberg Mayor’s Challenge funding. Finalists should be selected between March and July 2025.
- Safe and Thriving Communities Report Community Work Group
- We are planning a recruitment campaign to start in mid-April
- Staff are planning the logistics of the group including meeting cadence, training, staffing, etc.
- Lake Street Safety Center:
- We have ordered the equipment to take nonemergency police reports at the center.
- We are negotiating the MOU with Metro Transit to allow them to use the center.
- South Minneapolis Community Safety Center:
- The human trafficking RFP is currently open.
- We are on track to open in 2026
- Community engagement
- Regularly attending the MUID Safety Committee.
- Attending the Community Safety Collaborative which is a gathering of street level safety outreach organizations.
- Participating in a juvenile restorative justice gathering.
- Youth Coordinating Board will support a juvenile safety convening.
- Various safety meetings hosted by Council Members.
University of Minnesota workers represented by AFSCME and the Graduate Labor Union are hosting a rally about protecting UMN workers from the Trump administration’s attacks. All are invited to join and stand in solidarity with workers! Read more on AFSCME’s social media.
Press conference and rally: Protecting UMN Workers from Trump’s Attacks
- Monday March 31st at 12 noon
- Outside Morrill Hall - 100 Church St SE
Flyer for the UMN Workers Rally
Are you interested in helping to build a more equitable, local, and sustainable food system? Do you garden, cook, eat, own or work in a food business? Do you visit or engage with a food shelf? Are you passionate about sustainable growing, preventing wasted food, or other ways the food system influences our climate? Do you do research about food? Are you interested in learning more about food systems and networking with other folks who share this interest? Then you may be a great candidate for our food council!
The Homegrown Minneapolis Food Council is made up of 25 seats filled by individuals who are invested in helping build a more equitable, local, and sustainable food system in Minneapolis. The Food Council’s role is to advise the Mayor and City Council on food systems issues and guide implementation of the Minneapolis Food Vision, the City’s ten-year plan to shape Minneapolis’ food system.
We’re currently recruiting new members to join the council.
Apply now
22 Food Council seats for residents are open for applications from March 1 - 31 on the City’s website.
To be eligible for an open seat:
- Applicants should be residents of Minneapolis
- Council members must be able to regularly attend in-person monthly Homegrown Minneapolis Food Council meetings which happen the second Wednesday of each month from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. (with limited exceptions for conflicting holidays)
- Ideally, candidates will also engage with one of Homegrown Minneapolis’ action teams
Selected applicants will serve either a one- or two-year term that begins in July 2025.
Access the application on the City's Legislative Information Management System
Learn more about the Homegrown Minneapolis Food Council
Learn more about the Minneapolis Food Vision and Food Action Plan
Later this month, Hennepin County will resume road construction on the second and final year of improvements to University Avenue (County Road 36) and Fourth Street Southeast (County Road 37) near the University of Minnesota campus. In 2024, we completed the improvements on Fourth Street Southeast. This year, we will work on University Avenue.
Here’s what to expect in the months ahead:
Beginning March 31 through mid-May
University Avenue will be reduced to a single lane from the I-35W northbound ramps to 13th Avenue Southeast. Crews will work along the south side (right lanes) of University Avenue. Traffic can continue to use the left lane; plan for delays. Bike and pedestrian access will be maintained.
Mid-May through August
University Avenue will be reduced to a single lane from 13th Avenue Southeast to Oak Street. Crews will work along the south side (right lanes) of University Avenue. Traffic can continue to use the left lane, plan for delays. Bike and pedestrian access will be maintained.
Map of the University and 4th Project map
I attended the monthly meeting of the Seward Neighborhood Group. At the meeting, we discussed a range of different matters impacting the Seward community. This included a discussion on the Rethinking I-94 project, vacant properties, and upcoming community events. I also learned the sad news that our local restorative justice organization, Seward Longfellow Restorative Justice (SLRJ), will soon be dissolving and folding into another organization, Restorative Justice Community Action. SLRJ has been an amazing and essential partner in the city’s safety ecosystem, and I look forward to working with many of the organization’s volunteers and advocates in building up the city’s restorative division within the Neighborhood Safety Department.
The board is also looking for new members to join. If you are interested in learning how to get involved with SNG, click here.
I attended a Meet and Greet with the Council of Graduate Students (COGS). COGS is the Recognized Student Governance Association (RSGA) at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities campus that represents, advocates for, informs, facilitates communications among, and supports Twin Cities graduate students. We discussed graduate students’ priorities and issues including housing affordability, immigration, and workers’ rights.
Council Member Wonsley with UMN Graduate Students at the Council of Graduate Students Meet and Greet.
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. |
