In This Month's Issue:

• Opportunities to Connect
• Budget 101 with the Mayor
• 4d Program Preserves 770 Units of Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing
• National Organization to Insure a Sound-Controlled Environment Press Release
• Celebrating New Public Art Along the Shores of Bde Maka Ska
• Updated Design Concepts for Southwest Minneapolis Neighborhood Parks
• Get Ready for Routine Neighborhood Inspections
• Protect Pollinators This Season
• Public Input Wanted in Food Action Plan
• Recycle Smart – Know What Goes in Your Recycling Cart

Opportunities to Connect

Having hosted three events in May, there will be no Ward Forum this month. I regularly attend the majority of neighborhood meetings across the ward. Just so you know where to find me, over the next few weeks I will be attending several community events and encourage you to join me. I hope to connect with many of you and update you all on what is going on at City Hall.

• Lynnhurst Neighborhood Association meeting - Thursday, June 13 - 6:00pm-8:00pm - Lynnhurst Recreation Center
• Kenny Ice Cream Social - Thursday, June 20 - 6:30pm-8:00pm - Kenny Park
• Fulton/Pershing Ice Cream Social - Thursday, July 18 - 6:30pm-8:00pm - Pershing Park

Budget 101 with the Mayor

Join neighbors in conversation around the City budget process. At this event, you'll sit with staff and learn how the City creates a budget while participating in crafting your own budget priorities. You'll have the opportunity to consult the Mayor and staff on your budget feedback and ideas.

When: Monday, June 24, from 6-8:30pm
Where: John B. Davis Center, Assembly Room
RSVP to Reserve Your Seat: bit.ly/Budget101June24

4d Program Preserves 770 Units of Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing

The City’s 4d Affordable Housing Incentive Program, which helps property owners obtain property tax reductions for agreeing to keep a portion of their rental units affordable for 10 years, has enrolled 770 housing units throughout Minneapolis. 

Since the 4d pilot program launched in April 2018, 51 property owners have enrolled in the program with a total of 129 buildings. Owners of unsubsidized multifamily properties with two or more units are eligible to apply. At least 20 percent of the property’s rental units must be affordable to households making 60% of the area median income (AMI).

For 2018, 60% of AMI for a household of four was $56,580; and for an individual it was $39,600. Median rents for 4d units were 15-25% below maximum program limits at the time of enrollment. For instance, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment enrolled in the program was $845 a month and was $950 a month for a two-bedroom apartment. Property owners enrolled in the 4d program also agree to limit rent increases impacting tenants to 6% or less per year.

In addition to reduced property taxes, property owners participating in the 4d program are eligible for free or low-cost energy assessments and City cost sharing for solar energy installations and energy efficiency improvements. To date, the 4d program’s annual energy savings are equivalent to the annual energy use of 25 single family homes or the annual gas consumption of 46 cars.

“These results make clear that our 4d program is a win-win-win, helping preserve affordable housing, providing property tax relief, and making Minneapolis a greener city,” said Mayor Jacob Frey. “Rents for 770 households are now protected thanks to a shared commitment from the City and private sector partners to preserving naturally occurring affordable housing. Our City’s work in launching and expanding 4d is already paying dividends for Minneapolis families and renters.”

“I am thrilled property owners are coming to the table to partner with us to keep housing affordable in their own building,” said City Council Member Lisa Goodman. “It is important for policy makers to remember property tax increases cause rent increases. The city cannot build our way out of this affordable housing crisis. We need to look at what drives increasing rent and ongoing property tax increases play a big part, this program helps reduce taxes in exchange for keeping affordable housing actually affordable.”

The 4d Affordable Housing Incentive Program is one of several strategies the City is deploying to address the affordable housing crisis in Minneapolis. Learn more at minneapolismn.gov/4d.

National Organization to Insure a Sound-Controlled Environment Press Release

The National Organization to Insure a Sound-Controlled Environment (N.O.I.S.E.) recently announced the election of Minneapolis City Council Member Linea Palmisano as  a  Member of the organization’s Executive Board. Council Member Palmisano will serve as the Secretary.

Since 2014, City Council Member Palmisano has effectively served the residents of Minneapolis as they continue to work towards meaningful solutions to excessive airport noise. Council Member Palmisano represents a large constituency of residents impacted by noise from aircraft operations at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.  She sits on the city’s Airport Working Group and has been engaged with airport noise issues throughout her tenure on the Council. 

N.O.I.S.E. President Brad Pierce of Aurora, CO stated that “Council Member Palmisano’s addition to the N.O.I.S.E Executive Board will continue the long-standing tradition of engagement and leadership by the City of Minneapolis with the N.O.I.S.E. organization. Her leadership is greatly appreciated.”

N.O.I.S.E. is an affiliate of the National League of Cities and has served for over four decades as America’s only nationwide, community-based association committed to reducing the impact of excessive aviation noise on local communities.  Composed of local elected officials representing thousands of citizens across the United States, N.O.I.S.E. serves to help communities join together and inject the concerns of their constituents into the national debate on aviation noise mitigation.

Celebrating New Public Art Along the Shores of Bde Maka Ska

Shown above - President of Prairie Island, Shelley Buck

Over the weekend I had the privilege to be a part of the dedication of a new gathering space and public artwork at Bde Maka Ska. The idea to recognize an 1830s Dakota village that existed next to Bde Maka Ska was discussed for many years, but didn’t come to fruition until the Minneapolis Park Board adopted the Bde Maka Ska/Harriet Master Plan. The plan responded to the strong desire by community members to reveal and interpret the natural and human history of the lakes, specifically around the Native American history of the area. With funding for regional park improvements and support from the City’s Art in Public Places Program, the plan to recognize and honor this important site was realized.

The artwork includes a website, decorative railing and pavement stamps by artists Mona Smith, Sandy Spieler and Angela Two Stars honoring Maḣpiya Wicaṡṭa (Cloud Man) and Ḣeyata Ọtuŋwe (Village to the side), the Dakota leader and community that inhabited this area in the 1830s. The three artists collaborated on the entire design. Angela Two Stars conceived the pavement stamps depicting plants and animals significant to the Dakota, as well as selecting the Dakota words and phrases incorporated into the site. Sandy Spieler invented the overall railing design highlighting crops grown and harvested at the village. Mona Smith oversaw production of the website featuring information about Maḣpiya Wicaṡṭa, Ḣeyata Ọtuŋwe, and interviews with descendants and artists.

The City of Minneapolis’ Art in Public Places Program was developed by the Minneapolis Arts Commission more than thirty-five years ago. The mission of Art in Public Places is to enrich the lives of local citizens and visitors by integrating art into City planning, services, design and infrastructure. The Minneapolis park system hosts a variety of public art works, from the iconic Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and Minneapolis Institute of Art, to dozens of sculptures, fountains and other works scattered across neighborhood and regional parks and trails.

This work and many others can be found in seven different interactive public art maps tours of the City.

Updated Design Concepts for Southwest Minneapolis Neighborhood Parks

MPRB is nearing the end of its master planning process for all southwest Minneapolis parks. Revised concepts for each park property are now available for review online.

Please access links to all plans here: https://www.minneapolisparks.org/project_updates/check-out-updated-design-concepts-for-all-southwest-minneapolis-neighborhood-parks/

These revised concepts were created and honed through more than a year of community engagement, which included attending more than 100 park and neighborhood events and collecting and analyzing thousands of comments on previous iterations of park designs.

Get Ready for Routine Neighborhood Inspections

Now that the snow has melted, Minneapolis residents should make sure to clean up any nuisance conditions in their yards before routine neighborhood inspections. Housing Inspections Services staff look for nuisance violations throughout the year to help keep Minneapolis safe, clean and livable, but they are most common in the spring, summer and fall.

Property owners with nuisance violations will get a letter and about a week to resolve the violations. If they don’t resolve violations by the due date, contractors will complete the work, and the property owner will be charged a fee. Anyone with questions about a letter regarding nuisance violations can call 311.

Some of the most common nuisance violations that City staff looks out for:

• Tall grass and weeds: Grass and weeds must be under 8 inches.
• Inoperable vehicles: Vehicles that are not in working condition may not be stored on residential property. This includes vehicles with flat tires or expired tabs.
• Vegetation overhanging the sidewalk, alley or street: Bushes and other vegetation overhanging sidewalks, alleys or streets must clear sidewalks by 7 feet and alleys and streets by 14 feet.
• Garbage, litter and junk: Yards must be free of trash and debris.
• Brush and branches: Brush and branches attract rodents and are a fire hazard. Solid Waste & Recycling customers can bundle them for pickup at their curbside or alley location on garbage day in the spring, summer and fall.

Some resources exist to help seniors, veterans and disabled people.

Visit www.minneapolismn.gov/inspections for more information. To report a property in violation or for additional questions, call 311.

Protect Pollinators This Season

For planting season, the City urges all Minneapolis gardeners, landscapers, and farmers to protect pollinators. That means avoiding pesticides and treated plants that poison bees and butterflies. Pollinator populations are in sharp decline because of an ongoing loss of plants that feed and shelter them combined with large-scale expansion of pesticide use by homeowners, landscapers, property managers, and farmers. One-third of the food and drink produced in the U.S. depends on bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. If we want healthy communities, a healthy ecosystem, and a healthy food supply, we need healthy pollinators. You can help by landscaping and gardening with plants that nourish pollinators. The best annuals for pollinators include: Melampodium “Showstar” – gold flowers, up to 18” high Helenium “Dakota Gold” – yellow flowers, up to 12” high Salvia “Purple Fairy Tale” – purple flowers, up to 12” high Salvia “Summer Jewel Pink” – pink and white flowers, up to 24” high Zinnia “Envy” – pale green flowers, up to 20” high The City of Minneapolis is giving away free “seedles” at certain Minneapolis farmers markets (while supplies last) during Pollinator Week June 17-23. Seedles are wildflower seed balls that help provide healthy plants – food and shelter for pollinators – in yards and boulevards. More resources and information about how to protect pollinators are available here.

Public Input Wanted in Food Action Plan

Homegrown Minneapolis invites community members to participate in any or all upcoming meetings or weigh in online to help develop a food policy action plan. City staff intend for the plan to guide the City toward a more equitable, climate resilient, just and sustainable local food system and local food economy. Access to healthy and local food is important for the health of people who eat it, for the local communities it helps support and for protecting the climate.

These Food Council meetings will focus on specific Minneapolis food action plan topics. Anyone who can’t attend a meeting can still weigh in online.

2019

• Topic 1: Food justice and equity Online comments taken now.
• Topic 2: Diets and community demand 5-7:30 p.m. July 24 Minneapolis location to be determined
• Topic 3: Agricultural food production 5-7:30 p.m. Sept. 11 Minneapolis location to be determined
• Topic 4: Retail, wholesale, processing and distribution 5-7:30 p.m. Nov. 13 Minneapolis location to be determined

2020

• Topic 5: Food waste generation and management 5-7:30 p.m. Jan. 8 Minneapolis location to be determined
• Topic 6: All topics together with governance, finance and implementation 5-7:30 p.m. March 11 Minneapolis location to be determined

The Minneapolis Food Action Plan will serve as an appendix to the City’s Climate Action Plan and a stand-alone framework with food systems data and recommended goals, strategies, tactics and measurable indicators for City of Minneapolis policy and investment and Food Council action. The planning process will include opportunities to engage and contribute ideas throughout. The plan will be developed with community input in partnership with University of Minnesota researchers and the Homegrown Minneapolis Food Council.

Background

In 2013, the City of Minneapolis adopted the Minneapolis Climate Action Plan, which is the City’s roadmap to reducing Citywide greenhouse gas emissions. In 2017, the City of Minneapolis signed on to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact. Most recently, the City of Minneapolis adopted Minneapolis 2040, the City’s comprehensive plan. The Climate Action Plan defers to Homegrown Minneapolis for proposed climate change-related food systems actions, which this effort intends to advance through the framework of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact with research partnership from the University of Minnesota.

Find the full meeting calendar and more information about the topics here.

Recycle Smart – Know What Goes in Your Recycling Cart

Recycling has been in the news a lot lately because of shifts in markets and international policy changes. This has left many Minnesotans wondering what is happening to the recycling placed in their carts and what they can do now to support recycling.

First, know that your recycling is getting recycled. Most recycling collected in Minnesota is processed through local and regional markets, and overall Minnesotans are good recyclers with relatively low amounts of nonrecyclables put in the recycling.

Keep plastic bags out of your recycling cart

Plastic bags and wrap get tangled in the equipment at recycling facilities, and workers spend hours each day removing them. You can recycle plastic bags and wrap by bringing them to drop-off locations including grocery stores, food co-ops, retail stores and Hennepin County drop-off facilities.

Know what’s OK to put in your recycling cart.

• Use the recycling guide you got in the mail.
• Call Solid Waste & Recycling at 612-673-2917.
• Visit www.minneapolismn.gov/recycling.