June 06, 2025

A message from Council President Elliott Payne

Hello neighbors,

Happy Pride Month! While the federal government may attempt to erase our LGBTQIA2S+ community, we will continue to celebrate Pride and resist transphobia, homophobia, and all forms of hate.

At Thursday's City Council meeting, we took action on 70 items forwarded to us by our standing committees, received notice for 2 ordinance introductions, referred 2 ordinances to committee for consideration, and approved 6 honorary resolutions.

During yesterday’s meeting, City Council passed a motion requesting the City Auditor to conduct an independent After-Action review pertaining to the City's involvement in the federal actions on Lake St and Bloomington Ave on June 03,  2025. Our hope is that this review will provide clarity as to the City's participation in the event and measures of accountability. I understand the deep trauma this event caused and remain committed to ensuring that we uphold our City's separation ordinance and protect our immigrant neighbors to the fullest extent.

The Council also took up some unfinished business associated with our Partnership Engagement Fund from the previous cycle. This was for a contract with an outside advocacy non-profit group called Advancing Equity Coalition that funded afterschool programming that did not receive enough votes to pass at our last council meeting, but was brought back for reconsideration at yesterday's meeting. I voted against this contract because I believe we need to be cautious about public-private partnerships when it comes to funding core services for MPS students.

This programming is often presented as a win-win at first glance, providing funding and services for a school district in desperate need of support. However, I have deep concerns about this type of partnership with advocacy groups that also have organizational missions reaching far beyond just this homework club program, creating long-term risk for our public school funding. These public-private partnerships bring the promise of new funding streams or more flexible support systems, which may provide some short-term benefit for MPS students but often jeopardizes long-term sustainability and risks undermining the democratic governance of program delivery and can lead to inequities in programming across the district. This contract did pass upon reconsideration and I am committed to working with my colleagues on City Council and our partners at MPS to secure the resources necessary to deliver high-quality and equitable programming for all MPS students.

We also passed a resolution honoring the late Senator Kari Dziedzic by designating the 10th Avenue Bridge over the Mississippi River as the Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic Memorial Bridge. Senator Dziedzic served in the Minnesota Senate from 2012 to 2024 and worked tirelessly to serve our community. I am grateful for her leadership and our body taking this step to honor her lasting legacy in our City.

Best,

Elliott

Budget Updates

I wanted to highlight the City Council's 2026 Budget Priorities for the Mayor's 2026 Recommended Supplemental Budget. This is a chance for Council Members to submit their budget priorities for the Mayor's consideration and the public. This year, my office submitted the following priorities:

Citywide budget priorities:

• Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs staff

• The City's Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs (OIRA) is solely staffed by two individuals. In a time when the federal government is actively targeting our immigrant community, this office needs the capacity to meet the moment and provide services and information to our residents.
• Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Budget Crisis Financial Support

• This priority was shaped by an interest in supporting MPS during times of financial uncertainty. My interest was specifically in supporting go-to Metro Transit passes for MPS high school students to offset some of the financial constraints on MPS.

Neighborhood-specific priorities:

• Acquisition of the Twins City Garden Care Center Nursing Home (2309 Hayes St NE)

• This property has been a source of trouble for the neighborhood, including trespassing, graffiti, and blight. This budget priority stemmed from an interest in the city acquiring the abandoned building and potentially utilizing the space for a new project, such as social housing.

• Neighborhood Organization Funding for Community Resilience

• This priority was informed by conversations with neighborhood organizations, that want to focus on community building and resilience. I believe in equipping our neighborhood organizations with the resources necessary to support this programming and hyper-local services.

This is a preliminary submission before the Mayor presents his 2026 Recommended Supplemental Budget in August of this year. As always, we will continue to share budget updates as they come and shape out more concretely.

Connect with Council President Elliott Payne

June Community 1-1s

When: Thursday June 12th from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Where: Diamonds Coffee Shoppe (1618 Central Ave Ne)

Sign-up: Sign up for a time slot here

June Office Hours

When: Tuesday, June 24th from 5:00-7:00 PM

Where: MN Nice Cream (tables outside) 807 Broadway St Ne

Planting event June 7

Join a fun, family-friendly planting event this Saturday. This free event is part of the City’s ongoing work to improve water quality and support pollinators by restoring rain gardens and planting native flowers along Bryant Avenue.

Volunteers can expect to:

• Help plant flowers and native plants that filter rainwater and attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
• Learn about rain gardens.
• Find out tips for keeping storm drains clean.
• Enjoy snacks and good company.

No experience is needed. City staff will guide the planting and share ways you can help protect water in your neighborhood.

We’ll meet at Lyndale Farmstead Park and walk to nearby planting spots together. Be sure to dress for the weather, bring a water bottle and wear shoes you don’t mind getting a little muddy.

9 a.m.-noon Saturday, June 7 Lyndale Farmstead Park, 3900 Bryant Ave. S.

Learn more about the City’s stormwater work on the City website.

Career fair June 18 for health care jobs

Join us for a Caring Careers job fair at the Cedar Riverside Opportunity Center June 18. There’s a critical need for workers in health care and social assistance. Find out more about jobs to help elders and people with disabilities living in our community.

11 am-2pm Wednesday, June 18 Cedar Riverside Opportunity Center 505 15th Ave. S.

Juneteenth events in the parks

Celebrate Juneteenth in Minneapolis parks throughout June. From large community events to small neighborhood cookouts and movie screenings, there are a lot of ways to promote and cultivate knowledge and appreciation of African American history and culture.

Read more on the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board website.

Hot weather rule: electricity shut-off protection

Minnesota’s Hot Weather Rule protects residential utility customers from having their electric service shut off on any day that the National Weather Service has declared an excessive heat watch, heat advisory, or excessive heat warning.

Read more about hot weather protection on the State of Minnesota website.

Sign up for emergency alerts

The City uses Smart911 to send important information to residents during an emergency.

Get alerts

You can choose to receive Smart911 alerts by:

• Text messages
• Emails
• Phone calls
• Push notifications in the Smart911 mobile app
• Wireless emergency alerts*

Alert topics

The City of Minneapolis will use Smart911 to send alerts on topics including:

• Snow emergencies
• Severe weather
• Public safety incidents
• Major infrastructure issues
• Major special event impacts

Find out more and subscribe on the City website.

*Wireless emergency alerts come through the nationwide Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.

New program for treating opioid addiction

A new City opioid treatment program has begun for our community members with opioid use disorder. This pilot offers free prescription injections, treatment, and connections to services and support. That also includes insurance coverage help for longer-term treatment.

Read more about the opioid treatment program on the City website.

Connect with Elliott and Ward 1 Staff

Elliott Payne was re-elected in 2023 to represent Ward 1

Elliott serves on the President of the Minneapolis City Council, Chair of the Audit Committee, member of the Public Health & Safety Committee, Budget Committee, Intergovernmental Relations Committee, and Committee of the Whole. 

Contact the Ward 1 Council Office

Elliott Payne, Council Member - Email

Liam Davis Temple, Policy Aide - Email

Ikram Mohamud, Policy Associate - Email

Brandon Garcia, Policy Aide - Email

Office Phone - (612) 673-2201

Visit: minneapolismn.gov/ward1

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 asistencia, llame al 311. Rau kev pab 311. Hadii aad Caawimaad u baahantahay 311.