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Voters, make your plan for the voting option that works best for you. You can vote early in person or by mail, or you can vote at your polling place on Election Day, Nov. 4. Thousands of voters in Minneapolis have already cast their ballot in person or by mail.
You can help increase voter turnout attending the city’s one-day pop-up at the Midtown Global Market from 11AM-6PM on October 24, 2025.
Today the Minneapolis City Council unanimously passed the Professional Services Contracts Ordinance, which will require the mayor’s administration to regularly disclose all contracts that are entered into without a vote by the Council. Under current financial policies, the mayor’s administration may enter into contracts below $175,000 without approval from the City Council, limiting transparency and accountability for the administration. This ordinance now will require regular disclosure, which will increase transparency and give the opportunity for improved oversight.
The passage of this ordinance follows reports of mismanagement from the Frey administration. Earlier this year, a concerning contract to a vendor for under $175,000 was approved by the former Director of the Neighborhood Safety Department, and later by the Commissioner of the Office of Community Safety. At the September 17th meeting of the Public Health & Safety Committee, the City Auditor presented his office’s report on oversight of an urgent single-source contract of Helix Health & Housing Services. The Office of City Auditor identified $177,462.92 in what they classify as overpayments to Helix Health & Housing Services. The report found “duplicate and erroneous payments” that were made. Such payments show a lack of oversight, which creates an environment ripe for fraud.
Council Member Robin Wonsley, Council President Elliott Payne, and I also introduced an ordinance to create an Enterprise risk management ordinance, which the City Council voted today to refer to the Administration & Enterprise Oversight committee. The current risk management function is inadequate, with a narrow focus within the finance department. This has been identified as leaving significant gaps that fail to protect the city and its taxpayers from mismanagement, poor decision-making, and other unnecessary risks by the mayoral administration. This ordinance would create an Office of Enterprise Risk Management with the authority to act on identified risks across the City enterprise.
These actions follow a disturbing pattern of the Frey administration not complying with the Office of the City Auditor, which operates independently of both the mayor and city council. At the Budget Committee meeting on 10/16, the City Auditor shared that his office is not fully equipped to manage the workload of auditing the Frey administration and noted the mayor has “resisted investment in oversight and accountability.” The Auditor also spoke about how his office has encountered delays and a resistance from the Minneapolis Police Department regarding the ongoing audits into the shooting of Davis Moturi and death of Allison Lussier.
 This time of year, pet owners should make sure their pets are vaccinated against rabies. Now is prime season for bats, and if a pet is exposed to a bat infected with rabies, that could be fatal. Whether or not a pet has a vaccination, they should be taken to a regular veterinary office or community clinic for a rabies booster within 72 hours of an exposure or bite. There could be a time of confinement and/or quarantine. City policy will have the pet impounded if it’s unvaccinated and exposed to a bat until the bat in question is tested and has a negative result.
For questions about bats or help from Minneapolis Animal Control, call 612-673-6222. People can also call the Minnesota Animal Bites and Rabies Hotline at 651-201-5414 or toll free at 1-877-676-5414.
During last year’s budget process, I co-authored an amendment to fund a study on social housing. At this week’s Committee of the Whole meeting, we received a briefing from the Policy and Research department.
Social housing is an umbrella term for rental housing owned and managed by “social” (e.g., public or public oriented) landlords. In the U.S., social housing is owned by local or state governments or nonprofit organizations.
There is not a singular definition of social housing and there are a wide variety of models. All models of social housing, however, share the same basic aim: provide access to affordable housing to those who cannot satisfy their housing needs in the marketplace. Another common denominator is that by avoiding federal program restrictions, social housing generates permanently affordable housing. Social housing models vary, but generally they do not rely on subsidies.
There are on-going efforts to lobby the MN State Legislature to adopt a state financing entity to enable “locally owned and controlled housing.” In keeping with the concept of social housing, locally owned and controlled housing is described as having four essential components: (1) permanently affordable; (2) available to a wide range of incomes; (3) environmentally sustainable, and; (4) democratically controlled by residents.
As rents continue to rise, the availability of affordable housing continues to decline, and wealthy landlords continue their efforts to hold onto power at all levels of government, I will strongly advocate for social housing in Minneapolis.
 Keep your family safe from lead. Lead Poisoning Prevention Week helps raise awareness about the dangers of lead exposure, especially for children and pregnant women.
The City of Minneapolis is committed to eliminating childhood lead poisoning. Lead poisoning is 100% preventable and is detected with a blood test. Contact your health care provider and test your child for lead poisoning if they:
- Are under 6 years old.
- Live in a home built before 1978.
- Live in a home with recent repairs to painted wood trim, walls or floors.
Or if you’re concerned for your child’s health.
Read more on the City website about managing lead paint and how the City can help.
 Yard waste collection goes through November. City customers’ collection day the week of Nov. 24-29 will be their last 2025 pickup of leaves, brush and other yard trimmings.
Minneapolis Solid Waste & Recycling customers can set properly prepared yard waste at their alley or curb line next to their garbage carts by 6 a.m. on their pickup day. Set yard waste out in a reusable container, in compostable bags (paper or BPI-certified compostable plastic bags – look for the BPI logo) or bundled with string or twine (no wire or tape).
Other requirements
- Max weight of 40 lbs. for bags, reusable containers or bundled brush.
- Brush must be shorter than 3 feet long and each branch less than 3 inches in diameter.
- Brush must be in a container or bundled with string or twine (no wire or tape).
- Bags marked “biodegradable” or “degradable” do not meet the State law and are not accepted.
- Reusable container must be between 26-32 inches high, between 32 and 38 gallons in size, with sturdy handles and no wheels.
- Yard waste is not allowed in City-provided containers.
City customers are encouraged to set out properly prepared yard waste as soon as possible. There will be no additional 2025 yard waste service after the last scheduled pickup.
Raking leaves into the street is against the law and bad for our lakes, creeks and river.
For questions about leaf and brush pickup, customers can check the City website or call Solid Waste & Recycling at 612-673-2917 Monday-Friday.
 On the edge of downtown Minneapolis sits the city’s busiest fire station: MFD Station 6. The station serves one of the city’s most vibrant yet historically underserved communities — one rich in culture, tradition and resilience. Engine 10, based at Station 6, is the city’s second busiest crew, responding to hundreds of fires, medical emergencies and other calls each year. Engine 10’s A Shift is also the Minneapolis Fire Department’s first all-Native firefighter crew.
For these firefighters, every call carries deeper meaning, as they bring representation, service and understanding responding to a neighborhood that’s predominantly their own community.
Meet the crew: Serving their people - Introducing the Minneapolis Fire Department's first all-Native fire crew.
 The City is taking a modern approach to responding to emergency calls. Instead of only sending a traditional responder for all 911 calls, we’re also offering other services more suited to help someone in a crisis. Our newest step is directly connecting some 911 callers with a social worker.
When someone calls 911, the call taker decides if a social worker can support the caller instead of needing to dispatch an emergency response. Our dispatch center-based social worker will talk with the caller and figure out the best way to help them. It could be over-the-phone crisis intervention; counseling; or connecting the caller with mental health care, addiction treatment or housing support.
Read more on the City website.
The Cold Weather Rule is now in effect. The Cold Weather Rule means that if you can’t pay your home heat bill, your heat can’t be shut off Oct. 1-April 30. If you get a notice about disconnecting your primary heat source, make sure to immediately contact the utility and set up a payment plan.
Find resources on the State of Minnesota website. This information is available in English, Spanish, Hmong and Somali.
City crews are sweeping streets across Minneapolis. Street sweeping helps keep leaves and debris out of the storm drains. That helps keep them out of our lakes and creeks and the Mississippi River. During the four weeks in October and November, crews clean about 1,000 miles of city streets.
Stay informed
Temporary hot pink “No Parking” signs will be posted at least 24 hours before they start so the street will be clear of cars when they’re swept. Anyone who parks on the street will need to follow posted parking rules, or their cars may be ticketed and towed.
Stay informed about the parking rules through a web map showing when your street is scheduled for sweeping, “no parking” signs on the street, and email and text alerts.
Learn more about street sweeping on the City website; Facebook, Bluesky, Threads and X; and videos in English, Spanish, Somali and Hmong.
Contact the Ward 9 Office
Email: jason.chavez@minneapolismn.gov
Phone: 612-673-2209
City Hall
350 S. Fifth St., Room 370
Minneapolis, MN 55415
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. |
