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Greetings to my Ward 3 neighbors,
As the year winds down, I continue in my gratitude for all the new housing being built in Minneapolis as the City recovers.
- The building of Canvass, a 160 unit affordable housing project on 23rd and California is underway. Canvass will be managed by the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and will be housing for formerly unhoused people, accept Section 8 vouchers, and feature a large amount of 3 and 4 bedroom units for families.
- The Bottineau Commons is a 20 year old building on 18th and University has received $1.4 million from the City for renovations and improvements.
Important meetings I had this week included:
- Met with People Serving People leadership to learn more about the housing and services they provide to 80 formerly unhoused families.
- Public Works staff to learn how quickly the broken street lighting will be fixed.
- I arranged the first of many meetings between a developer and the NE Arts District for them to discuss how new housing can feature outdoor sculptures and interactive art.
- I met with the violence interrupter group A Mother's Love executive director Lisa Clemmons to learn more about how I can help support her group.
The details are being finalized on the task force being assembled to study and recommend how 1st floor retail space in downtown can be rezoned to offer buildings more flexibility in filling empty spaces.
As always, Henry, Ryan and I are here to serve you. Please contact us at Ward3@minneapolismn.gov and 612-673-2203.
Your neighbor,
Michael
The City Council adopted Mayor Jacob Frey’s 2023 budget Dec. 6. This is the mayor’s first biennial budget and focuses on delivering fundamental City of Minneapolis services with excellence and precision.
The budget includes significant investments in the Office of Community Safety and the Office of Public Service besides continued funding and commitment for affordable housing projects, inclusive economic recovery work and expansions to climate and public health initiatives, and added capacity for day-to-day operations and restoring the workforce to its pre-pandemic size. The budget also includes intentional staffing plans under the new government structure.
Mayor Frey’s adopted budget totals $1.66 billion in 2023 and $1.71 billion in 2024. The tax levy increase for 2023 will be 6.5% and is predicted to be 6.2% for 2024.
Read more about the 2023 budget on the City website.
The City Council has approved $15.8 million in direct investment and $1.5 million in 10-year federal tax credits to create or preserve 1,445 units of affordable multifamily rental housing in 12 projects located throughout the city. These investments are the result of awards from the City’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) and Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit programs for 2022. Together, these investments will leverage over $473.7 million in private and public resources.
- In Ward 3, $1,400,000 for the Bottineau Commons & Lofts project which is a rehabilitation project preserving 156 affordable units.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has signed an executive order protecting people seeking or receiving gender-affirming care in Minneapolis. During a time when many states are restricting or criminalizing access to this kind of care, this executive order supports people’s access to all services, supplies, drug therapies and other care that a person may receive to support and affirm their gender identity.
Executive Order 2022-04 prohibits all City departments and City staff from taking any enforcement action against providers or individuals exercising their right to gender-affirming health care in Minneapolis. The executive order also affirms the right of minors living apart from their parents to make their own medical decisions regarding gender-affirming health care, pursuant to Minnesota state law.
Read the full text of the order on the City website.
Join the teams that keep the city running. Help spread the word about these opportunities with your friends, family and community.
Public Works is hiring and training for several job openings:
- Public Works service worker 1 trainee: performs manual labor, learns to drive and operate equipment. Supports the department’s construction and maintenance activities. You will be supported in obtaining your CDL Class B license.
- Public Works service worker 1: performs manual labor and drives and operates equipment to support construction and maintenance work.
- Public Works service worker 2: performs manual labor, drives and operates heavy specialty equipment to support construction and maintenance work.
- Water distribution operator trainee: performs manual labor to maintain the City’s water distribution system.
- Water distribution operator: performs manual labor and semi-skilled work to maintain the City’s water distribution system.
Read more about the jobs and how to apply, and find virtual and in-person information sessions on the City website.
Apply on the City website by Jan. 22, 2023.
From gift wrap to discarded holiday trees and décor, Americans produce an extra million tons of garbage every week between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Hennepin County's sustainable holiday checklist is here to help you reduce waste this holiday season.
The guide includes tips on:
- Gift giving.
- Gift wrap and holiday cards.
- Decorations.
- Food and party planning.
- Holiday trees: real vs. artificial.
Minneapolis recycling customers: What to do with extra recycling
- Boxes that don’t fit in your recycling cart can go next to it in one large box or bundled together with string or twine (not wire or tape). Keep bundles to less than 3 feet by 3 feet and under 40 pounds so crews can lift them safely.
- Extra bottles and cans can go next to your recycling cart in cardboard boxes or paper bags. Recycling in or next to your cart in plastic bags will be disposed of as garbage.
- There's no charge for another recycling cart. Contact our office to request another cart if you regularly have more recycling that will fit in your cart or carts.
Keep tanglers out of the recycling
As you take out holiday decorations from storage and begin to transform your home, remember to keep tanglers such as holiday lights and electrical cords out of your recycling cart. Like plastic bags and hoses, these get wrapped around equipment at recycling sorting facilities. Crews have to shut down operations for two hours every day so workers can climb into the machinery to remove tanglers by hand.
You can recycle unwanted cords and string lights at Hennepin County drop-off facilities or other holiday light recycling locations.
Still don’t know what to do? Search the City’s disposal guide or post your question on the Facebook group.
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