 The mayor and City Council have approved a 2019 budget for the City. The $1.55 billion budget works toward the day when all our residents have a place to call home, and continues investment in public safety and inclusion.
Highlights of the adopted 2019 budget include:
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Housing - Affordable housing investment of more than $50 million ($40 million in local sources) to create more affordable housing, preserve existing affordable housing, stand up for tenants’ rights and promote affordable homeownership.
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Public safety - An interdisciplinary approach to public safety with the City Attorney, Fire Department, Health Department, Police Department and others; mental health support for officers and expansion of the co-responder program.
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Inclusive economy - Economic inclusion and growth investments include:
- $500,000 for Village Trust Financial Cooperative to provide banking services to underserved members of our community.
- $547,000 for Great Streets and Business Technical Assistance Programs that catalyze real estate revitalization projects and help small and local business owners get their businesses off the ground.
- Labor standards enforcement including a new program with community-based organizations to help inform low wage workers of their minimum wage and sick and safe time rights.
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Operations - Improved City operations include more staff for the Office of Race Equity to continue eliminating disparities, modern core Information Technology infrastructure and Elections.
The City’s revenues come from a variety of sources with property taxes accounting for about 23 percent of the budget. A responsible property tax levy provides the resources to ensure that the City runs well, makes critical investments, and continues implementing the landmark, 20-year agreement to fund the infrastructure and operations of neighborhood parks and City streets.
 The City Council has approved racial equity standards in the way the City works and the way it delivers services to improve outcomes for all residents.
Enterprise operational goals:
- Strategic need for racially diverse workforce
Minneapolis policy goal: Increase the retention of People of Color and Indigenous People in the City’s workforce.
Statement: Racially and ethnically diverse employees are key to serving residents and other customers with excellence. A workforce that mirrors our population increases City government access to great ideas, strengthens innovation and problem-solving, and ensures we are doing our fair share in providing decent-paying jobs to all our communities.
- Strategic need for racially equitable contracting
Minneapolis policy goal: Increase the percent count of, and spend with, racially and ethnically diverse for-profit suppliers across all departments.
Statement: Racially and ethnically diverse businesses help drive the City’s economic growth. Diversifying our City government’s vendor base increases our access to high-quality products and services, supports competitive pricing, and ensures we are doing our fair share in supporting important sources of income and jobs in racially and ethnically diverse communities.
- Strategic need for racially disaggregated data:
Minneapolis policy goal: Improve the use of racially disaggregated data for decision‐making in the legislative process.
Statement: In the City’s legislative process, the standing committees play a critical role exercising primary oversight of specific areas of municipal policy as well as those departments and divisions within their purviews. In particular, committees deliberate and recommend City ordinances (local laws, regulations, and policies) which usually regulate persons or property and usually relate to matters of a general and permanent nature. Standing committees are also responsible for evaluating and making recommendations on all matters referred to them. Ensuring policymakers have access to racially-disaggregated data will help improve decision-making and outcomes from the legislative process.
- Strategic need for engaging diverse communities
Minneapolis policy goal: Improve the capacity of appointed boards and commissions to advance the City’s racial equity work.
Statement: The role of appointed boards and commissions is to advise the mayor and council on City policies and practices. Enabling ABCs to consider the impact on all racial and ethnic groups when developing and presenting policy recommendations will advance the City’s long-range racial equity goals.
Find the full enterprise operational goals and accompanying policy statements here.
 The City of Minneapolis is seeking proposals from local non-profit organizations that provide direct business technical assistance and training to small businesses and microenterprises located in Minneapolis, , particularly those from economically disenfranchised populations. The total funding available for the Business Technical Assistance Program (B-TAP) in 2019 is $500,000 and we expect to receive multiple proposals. Proposals shall be submitted on or before: January 14, 2019, 4:00 pm. An informational meeting will be held on December 19, 2018, from 10:30 – 11:30 am at the Crown Roller Mill building located at 105 Fifth Ave. South, Suite 150. Attendance is recommended but not required.
 The Minneapolis City Council has approved Minneapolis 2040, the City’s Comprehensive Plan, which will help shape how the city will grow and change over the next two decades so all residents can benefit.
The Comprehensive Plan includes 14 goals with an overarching theme: Minneapolis’ growth must be managed with a focus on undoing barriers created by a history of policies in the city that have prevented equitable access to housing, jobs and investments, resulting in significant disparities between white people and people of color. Nearly 100 policies with action steps outline ways to achieve the plan’s goals.
Minneapolis 2040 will guide future growth for the city. It is not an instruction book but rather a tool to frame the city’s growth, set direction and give high-level guidance. This plan will be used to inform future ordinances, zoning code revisions and the City’s strategic racial equity plan, among other items.
The Comprehensive Plan calls for allowing more housing options, especially in areas that lack housing choices and access to transit, goods and services. It also includes several policies to make the city more resilient to climate change.
Inclusionary Zoning framework, interim ordinance
The Minneapolis 2040 Plan allows for greater residential and mixed-use building density. The City Council also adopted an Inclusionary Housing Policy directing staff to develop a comprehensive inclusionary housing policy to be considered for adoption by the City Council at the end of 2019 to support the affordable housing goals of the Minneapolis 2040 Plan.
The City Council adopted an Interim Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance, effective for new land use applications submitted after Jan. 1, 2019. The ordinance will apply to residential rental developments that include applications to increase a property’s development capacity by 60 percent or more. The interim ordinance requires 10 percent of units to be affordable at 60 percent of area median income, or 20 percent of the units to be affordable at 50 percent of area median income if the development receives a City subsidy.
Next steps
The City will now submit the Comprehensive Plan to the Metropolitan Council, which requires municipalities in the Twin Cities area to provide updated comprehensive plans every 10 years. It must be consistent with the Metropolitan Council’s regional development guide, Thrive MSP 2040, which sets the direction for the region’s growth and development.
Tribal partners to lead efforts to transition encampment residents to nearby Navigation Center
The Red Lake Nation and Simpson Housing Services have announced their commitment to lead the temporary Navigation Center in south Minneapolis that will serve residents of the Franklin/Hiawatha Homeless encampment. It will open mid-December.
The temporary Navigation Center at 2109 Cedar Ave. will provide a safe and service-rich environment for people who have been living at the encampment. The Red Lake Nation owns the Navigation Center site and will provide security and some of the social services at the center. The center will remain open until May 2019. After that, the Red Lake Nation is breaking ground on a new affordable housing project at the site.
The Red Lake Nation is partnering with Simpson Housing Services, which will provide shelter operational support at the center. The City has worked closely with partners on the development of the center and provided funding for three large heated sprung structures that will accommodate up to 120 people.
The Navigation Center will offer people the opportunity to regain safety and engage in supportive relationships that allow them to move forward with their lives, including developing pathways to permanent housing, income, healthcare and stability. Individualized case management services will be provided on site by partner agencies and will include traditional Native healing activities. Services will be voluntary.
To date, partners involved in outreach at the encampment have assisted more than 80 people with securing access to supportive housing. Following the opening of the Navigation Center, leaders from the Red Lake Nation and Metropolitan Urban Indian Directors (MUID), who have been providing support at the encampment site since it began, will take the lead in helping transition people from the encampment to the center or alternative locations. Coalition partners (listed below) are committed to collaborating on the transition to the Navigation Center, shifting existing encampment supports to the center, and the eventual closure of the encampment, which all partners recognize is not safe given the cold weather and other conditions.
The City also remains committed to working with partners on long-term housing solutions, including developing recommendations for housing geared toward Native Americans experiencing chronic homelessness.
Coalition partners
The City has worked closely with several partners on outreach at the encampment and development of the Navigation Center, including the Red Lake Nation, Metropolitan Urban Indian Directors, Simpson Housing Services, Hennepin County, State of Minnesota and several other community organizations.
 The City Council approved a new ordinance that establishes a framework for developing a City of Minneapolis identification card program. The City’s 2019 City budget, approved by the council earlier this week, also includes a one-time allocation of $200,000 to help start a City ID program.
Over the coming months, staff will work to figure out the partnerships and resources needed to create a City ID card program similar to ones in Chicago, New York City, San Francisco and many other cities.
Plans call for the creation of a card that would be recognized as a valid form of identification by all City departments and law enforcement. It would be available to all Minneapolis residents 13 and older, giving them the opportunity to have a form of government-issued photo identification. A Minneapolis ID would also help create a sense of civic pride and belonging, connecting City government to its residents.
Cardholders would also have access to non-city services and may also be eligible for “perks.” Potential benefits could include using the card for transit, financial transactions and even discounts at restaurants, local museums and theaters.
Along with helping create a sense of civic pride and belonging, a City ID would help address and eliminate inequities within our communities. Many in Minneapolis can’t get driver’s licenses, State IDs or any other government-issued identification due to housing instability, gender identity, age, student status or immigration status.
Over the coming months, staff will work to develop a working City ID program. Things like operating budgets, staffing, an application process and implementation of card security technology will need to be considered. A comprehensive list of benefits and services for cardholders will also be developed.
 The City of Minneapolis asks residents to make their voices heard by submitting a comment on a rule proposed by the Department of Homeland Security that would prevent certain people from getting permanent resident status (a green card) or changing or extending their immigration status.
The rule would expand the ability to deny immigration status based on an analysis of whether the applicant is likely to become dependent on the government (a “public charge”). This analysis would be based on their receiving public income assistance or long-term care at government expense and also on factors such as age, English language ability, disability and even creditworthiness. The proposed rule has the potential to harm millions of people nationwide including U.S. citizens who are family members of immigrants. The deadline to comment is Dec. 10.
The City of Minneapolis is strongly opposed to this proposed rule that discriminates against children, elderly and disabled people, and others. Furthermore, if implemented, the rule would likely deter immigrants and their families from getting benefits they qualify for, hurting the economic stability and health of city residents including U.S. citizens who are family members of immigrants.
If you are concerned about how this proposal may affect you if it becomes a rule, you can call Mid Minnesota Legal Aid at 800-292-4150 9 a.m.-4 p.m. or visit www.lawhelpmn.org. You can also visit the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota webpage. Both are nonprofit organizations with attorneys on staff who can explain the proposed rule in more detail.
The City of Minneapolis Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs would be grateful to know if you have submitted a comment. After you have commented, you could email michelle.rivero@minneapolismn.gov.
Submit a comment
For strong comments, include:
- Why you are interested in the subject.
- What your opinion is.
- What information (including your own experience) your opinion is based on.
All comments must be submitted in English. If you need help submitting a comment in English, perhaps a friend could help you draft your comment.
To learn more including how to submit a comment, visit https://protectingimmigrantfamilies.org.
You can also visit the federal register website directly at https://www.regulations.gov and choose the link “Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds” under the heading “What's Trending.”
 Lake St. at 35W tentatively scheduled to close Monday, December 17 to Wednesday, December 19, 10 pm to 5 am each night. Traffic will be detoured to 31st St.
31st St. at 35W is tentatively scheduled to close Wednesday, December 27 to Thursday, December 28, 10 pm to 5 am. Traffic will be detoured to Lake St.
These closures are for setting beams over Lake and 31st St.
For information about the 35W Project, use the following link: www.mndot.gov/35w94
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