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The new work group will advise the city as it builds out its safety services.
The Office of Community Safety is seeking 21 community members to join the Safe and Thriving Communities work group. Members will advise the city in its efforts to improve safety services in a comprehensive way. The work group will also work on engagement opportunities to connect with community members. I’m proud to have led the Council to create this advisory body so that the community can have a seat at the table in the city’s development of a comprehensive community safety system.
Purpose of the work group
To provide feedback as the city develops its community safety ecosystem. This includes:
- Prevention services
- Non-police response services
- Restoration services
- Safety processes and procedures
- Community safety centers
The work group will track and advise City leadership as it implements the Safe and Thriving Communities Report and Plan.
Qualifications
We are looking for people who:
- Have diverse backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives.
- Have a connection or work with diverse communities.
We are also looking for people who are subject matter experts in, or have lived experience in:
- Violence prevention services
- Unarmed violence intervention services
- Restorative justice and healing services
- Criminal justice system
Additional qualifications:
In addition, we need specific qualities like:
- Youth perspective by a person aged 16-24 or an advocate for youth.
- Personal experiences with social, health or other issues. Also, the strategies and systems that seek to fix the issues.
Learn more and apply
Learn more about membership information, expectations and appointment process by visiting the City's website. Applications will be accepted until May 4, 2025 in the LIMS Current Openings section.
Questions can be emailed to communitysafety@minneapolismn.gov.
Prospect Park Association (PPA) is the city recognized neighborhood organization for Prospect Park.
Engage in City & Neighborhood Activities: Environment, Equity, Public Safety, Land Use, Renters’ Rights, Jackson Family Project, Witch’s Hat Tower & Local Park Improvements, Transportation & More. Board member orientation provided. ALL ARE WELCOME!There are nine open board seats including one student representative seat & one business representative seat. Board terms are two-years beginning June 23rd, 2025. There are six board meetings per year held on Monday nights.The online election begins at PPA’s Annual Meeting PPA Annual Meeting: 6:30pm, Monday May 12th at Pillars of Prospect Park, 22 Malcolm Ave SE (in-person only).
Contact staff@prospectparkmpls.org with questions or to receive more information. Learn more about PPA at prospect park mpls.org.
Board members must be at least 18 years old and either: a resident in the Prospect Park neighborhood, or an owner or business lessee of real property in the neighborhood, or the designated representative of a nonprofit, educational organization or governmental organization in the neighborhood.To run for the PPA Board, complete a Board Candidate Profile form here: https://forms.gle/eUvewtGXnbe164Sb9 by Friday, April 25th.
Prospect Park association recruitment flyer
Hennepin County has updated the construction map for the METRO E Line. You can find it at the top of our project web page.
Upcoming station construction. All dates are subject to change
University & Malcolm
Week of April 14:
- Southbound turns onto Malcolm from University will be prohibited during the first stage of construction.
- Metro Transit contractors will set up traffic control and begin sawcutting and removal of concrete.
- This work includes the use of heavy machinery, and impacts such as vibrations, loud noise, and dust and debris are to be expected.
Week of April 21:
- Crews will work on underground utilities.
- Crews will work to grade surfaces in preparation for concrete work.
University & 27th Avenue
Week of April 14:
- 27th Avenue will be closed to northbound and southbound traffic at the south end of the intersection.
- Metro Transit contractors will set up traffic control and begin sawcutting and removal of concrete.
- This work includes the use of heavy machinery, and impacts such as vibrations, loud noise, and dust and debris are to be expected.
- Crews will work on underground utilities.
Week of April 21:
- Crews will continue to work on underground utilities.
- Crews will work to grade surfaces in preparation for concrete work.
E Line construction begins
Metropolitan Mosquito Control District began their field season this week. Residents may see mosquito control trucks, helicopters, drones, and staff in neighborhoods, parks, and near wetlands. Mosquito control has expanded their drone program and they will now be active in every county, so residents may see them more regularly this year.
Follow the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District on social media channels or website for the latest updates:
https://www.mmcd.org/
https://www.facebook.com/metromosquitocd
https://www.x.com/metromosquito
Metropolitan Mosquito Control District staff with drone.
The Prospect Park Association Transportation Committee is organizing bike-related programming for summer Saturday afternoons at the Westgate Commons Park! Possible themes include kids’ bike games, safety, wayfinding, transit connections, bike shop connections, bike advocacy, and more. They are looking for volunteers to help plan these fun events- reach out if you want to get involved!
Did you know that the average family of four wastes more than $2,500 a year on uneaten food?
Preventing food waste saves you money, reduces hunger in our communities, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Tips to reduce food waste
The biggest thing you can do to prevent wasted food is to buy food you’ll eat and eat what you buy. Individuals and families can limit wasted food by:
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Plan weekly meals: Shop with a list for the week
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Buy smaller quantities: Only buy what you’ll eat
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Create an “eat this now” section in your fridge: Put the foods you need to eat first in the front
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Store food correctly: Learn the best places in your kitchen to keep food fresh for longer.
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Save leftovers: Store/freeze food in portion-ready containers
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Use the Fridge Check Guide: Identify the foods you toss the most and why
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Take restaurant leftovers home: Eat leftovers the next day
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Compost food scraps:
Find resources and learn more about preventing wasted food at home
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Food for thought
The City of Minneapolis is committed to reducing food waste. The Minneapolis Climate Equity Plan aims to recycle and compost 80% of citywide waste by 2030.
The Minneapolis Food Vision has strategies to prevent and divert wasted food. It matters because:
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70% of restaurant-wasted food comes from customers not finishing their plates.
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In Hennepin County, each person wastes about 97 meals per year.
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The amount of food we waste is like buying five bags of groceries but leaving two behind.
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Each year, food waste in the U.S. creates more greenhouse gases than all the cars in California, Texas, Florida, and New York combined.
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I had the honor of attending The Link’s annual Elevate and Empower Gala. The Link is a Minneapolis organization that supports youth and families experiencing homelessness, young people who are survivors of sex trafficking, and youth who are involved in the juvenile justice system. They offer a continuum of innovative, youth-driven programs to meet youth’s basic needs while empowering them with the resources and relationships to pursue their goals and thrive. Thank you to The Link for your work!
Council Member Wonsley and Council Member Chavez with leadership of The Link at the Elevate and Empower Gala.
At the request of Glendale and Prospect Park residents, I nominated Glendale Townhomes for local historic designation. This resulted in a unanimous vote by the Heritage Preservation Commission in June of 2024 to place Glendale under interim protection for one year. Council will vote on the historic designation by this June.
The City Attorney’s office recently issued a new opinion that relates to this process. The City Attorney informed my office that the historic designation proceedings are quasi-judicial matters rather than standard legislative matters. This differs from the information we had been provided from the outset when my office initiated the process last year. The City Attorney writes:
Based on some recent inquiries from other council members related to communications and requests from the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA), I assisted CPED staff in an analysis of the nature of historic preservation designation proceedings. In a case decided by the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2000 it was determined that such proceedings before the Minneapolis City Council are indeed quasi-judicial in nature as opposed to legislative. See Handicraft Block Ltd. P'ship v. City of Minneapolis, 611 N.W.2d 16, 24 (Minn. 2000) (“Looking at all of the factors together, we hold that the proceedings of the City in designating the Handicraft Buildings for heritage preservation were quasi-judicial.”).
Based on this quasi-judicial status you are, of no fault of your own, placed in a unique situation with relation to the Glendale Town Houses historic designation matter that will likely come before the council in the near future. This is because our ordinances governing heritage preservation specifically authorize council members to nominate properties to be considered for designation as an historic district. See Minneapolis Code of Ordinances (MCO) § 599.220(2). Based on this authority you have properly submitted a nomination to reconsider the Glendale Town Houses for designation as an historic district. As the authorized nominator in this case, you would be expected to, and have, advocated for a position favoring designation of the proposed district. This advocacy — which is contemplated, expected and appropriate — would substantially risk a finding that you have engaged in prohibited pre-judgment bias should you participate in the council voting of the matter in its quasi-judicial capacity. “To show an invalidating bias in [quasi-judicial proceedings] courts generally have required that [pre-hearing] statements be linked with advocacy of a position in the particular case in question.” See Rathkopf’s The Law of Zoning and Planning, § 22.04(5); see also Hard Times Café, Inc. v. City of Minneapolis, 625 N.W.2d 164 at 174 (Minn.App. 2001). Therefore, the advice of my office is for council members who (altogether properly and in an ordinance-authorized capacity) nominate a property and advocate for its designation as an historic district or landmark to refrain from voting on the matter when it comes before the council or any council committee.
I acknowledge that this information was not previously provided to you and specifically wished to be clear that you have not taken any actions contrary to this guidance in your role as an ordinance-authorized nominator of the Glendale Town Houses to be designated as an historic district.
I was extremely surprised to learn this so late in the process and have concerns about why the City Attorney’s Office did not produce this opinion earlier. That said, the case they lay out leads me to believe that if I partake in any votes on designation, I would be opening the City up to a significant risk of being successfully sued by parties that oppose the designation. This would not be beneficial for the city or taxpayers, or for advancing the historic designation of Glendale.
Given this, I will plan to recuse myself from voting on this particular historic designation application. Since I have already stated a public position on the item, I will continue to advocate for the nomination publicly including at the upcoming HPC meeting on April 22nd, and at the following council-related meetings as well.
Summary: Council Member Chavez and I are authoring an ordinance to expand the City’s Civil Rights protections and improve administration and enforcement. There will be a public hearing on April 23rd at 1:30pm.
Background: Council Member Chavez and I are authoring a comprehensive refresh of the City’s Civil Rights Ordinances. We have worked closely with the Civil Rights Department leadership and community members to author language that will add new protected classes, bolster enforcement, and streamline the administrative processes related to the Civil Rights Commission review panels and the appeals process.
My office has been working with the local Justice Equity Coalition on creating a new protected class for justice-impacted individuals (residents with histories in the criminal justice system or criminal records). I’m excited to move this initiative forward so that Minneapolis can follow in the footsteps of the City of Atlanta, which recognized the need to protect justice-impacted individuals from discrimination to improve reentry and reduce recidivism.
You can read more about the Civil Rights Ordinance here.
There will be a public hearing on the ordinance on April 23rd at 1:30pm. Any resident may share their thoughts on the proposed amendments by speaking at the public hearing or emailing in written testimony.
Civil Rights Ordinance public hearing
In person: April 23rd at 1:30pm at the Public Service Center (250 S 4th St)
Submit written testimony: CouncilComment@minneapolismn.gov
Key votes: There will be a public hearing on the Civil Rights ordinance on April 23rd at 1:30pm, after which the Public Health and Safety Committee will vote on the ordinance.
Summary: Council has approved an ordinance by Council Members Chavez and Chowdhury that will improve equity, safety, and economic vitality for vendors selling food and beverages on sidewalks and other public areas.
Background: Like all major cities, Minneapolis is home to small entrepreneurs who sell food and beverages on sidewalks, street corners, and other public locations. These sidewalk carts and street vendors add vibrancy and culture to our city. They are also a low-barrier opportunity for residents to make money and support their families. In recent years, newer immigrants to Minneapolis have used sidewalk vending as a source of income, especially in asylum-seeking cases where newcomers must wait six months to apply for work permits.
Council Members Chavez and Chowdhury worked closely with community members and immigrant rights advocates to author expanded areas and more accessible permitting processes to enable vendors to sell food and beverages safely and legally. This week, the Council unanimously approved the ordinance.
Key votes: Council voted unanimously to approve the sidewalk cart and street vending ordinance.
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. |
