City Briefs - June

The Minneapolis Police Department will be holding a community picnic and barbeque on Thursday, June 22 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Cedar Field Park, at 2500 Cedar Ave. People are invited to gather with officers, neighbors and others for free food and refreshments. For questions about the event, contact 3rd Precinct Inspector Jose Gomez, 612-673-3644.

 

The City Planning Commission has voted to delay any decisions about the proposed new Hiawatha Public Works facility expansion at the Roof Depot Site at 1860 28th St E; 2717 Longfellow Ave; and 1901 26th St E. This included an application by the city to rezone the property and grant a conditional use permit to allow an expansion to an existing street and equipment maintenance facility. They voted to continue the decision to the meeting on June 26, to allow time for further negotiations about state funding and the possible sale of the property. 

 

On May 10, Minneapolis Public Housing Authority presented a proposal for a fully funded housing tax levy to be considered by the Minneapolis City Council, Mayor, and Board of Estimate and Taxation. The 20-year levy proposal would deliver an estimated $240 million over the next two decades and property taxpayers would pay between $31 and $108 more each year depending on the value of their property.  A homeowner at the city median of $316,000 would pay an additional $52.87/year.

 

A joint meeting of the Capital Long-Range Improvements Committee (CLIC) and the City Planning Commission was held on May 11 to take input on the proposals for the 2024-2029 Capital Improvement Program funding. The proposals for next year total over $268 million and include investments in parks, city buildings, water treatment facilities, streets and other infrastructure. The largest requests from departments for 2024 include $24 million for Hennepin Ave., $18 million for stormwater sewers, $17 million for sanitary sewers, and $15 million for a new first police precinct building. There is also $6 million proposed for a Third Precinct police station. The input from the hearing will help CLIC make their recommendation to the mayor and city council as they work on next year’s city budget.   

 

The city has drafted a new climate equity plan and is now taking public comment through June 5 on its latest draft. You can review the plan,  give feedback on specific strategies and make general comments on the overall direction of the plan https://www2.minneapolismn.gov/government/programs-initiatives/climate-equity/climate-equity-plan/. The goal of the plan is to significantly reduce climate pollution by 2030 and make the city carbon neutral by 2050. Strategies include insulating 30,000 homes with 5,000 of them in Green Zones, reducing natural gas emissions by 30%, supporting 1,000 new green jobs for residents, expanding green space, tree planting, and local food production; and achieving 100% renewable electricity city wide. 

 

In May, the city launched a new a campaign to raise awareness about renters’ rights and the city resources. The city has regulations regarding screening, security deposits, evictions, repairs, and more.  The city has support available from rental housing liaisons legal resources and will have information available at community events this summer including the Community Connections Conference, Juneteenth, Somali Independence Day, and Open Streets. People can learn more about the topics below on the https://www.minneapolismn.gov/resident-services/property-housing/renting/renters/rights/.  

 

The 2023 Community Connections Conference will be held on June 10 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. It is a city sponsored event that will run together a 2023 Green Zone Summit for environmental justice. The Community Connections Conference is a free annual event for residents, community groups, neighborhood organizations and local government to build relationships, learn together and create a better Minneapolis.  It includes a variety of workshops, an exhibition hall, performances by local artists, and lunch. 

 

The Northside and Southside Green Zones of Minneapolis are hosting the second annual environmental justice Green Zone Summit at the Minneapolis Community Connections Conference on June 10. Topics discussed at the summit will include climate equity, recycling and zero waste and how to save costs on energy.  Organizers hope to raise awareness and build power to advance environmental justice actions in Minneapolis.

 

The Democratic Farmer Labor (DFL) party has completed its planned rounds of city-ward level meetings to consider endorsing city council member candidates in each ward.  The southside ward 2, 9, and 12 meetings were held.  The was no endorsement in Ward 2. Jason Chavez and Aurin Chowdhury were endorsed in Wards 9 and 12 respectively. In Ward 12, Luther Ranheim was not endorsed by the party but announced that he will continue his campaign. The Ward 10 meeting was held on May 13, but was recessed before an endorsement vote could be taken due to the disruptive behavior of some participants. In Ward 8, Soren Stevenson was endorsed (see related article on page 12), and Andrea Jenkins announced that she will continue in the race. The Ward 11 online meeting was held May 21 and Emily Koski was endorsed. 

The official candidate filing period ends Aug. 15, so there may be more candidates.