Council Member's Message

At the end of May the City Council approved the City of Minneapolis’ Complete Streets Policy. This four page document is the result of substantial collaborative work by City staff, policy makers, stakeholder partners and community members to strike a reasonable balance between the various ways people move through and around our City.

In addition to accommodating the efficient movement of motor vehicles, the Complete Streets policy offers a framework for transportation planning that heightens awareness and consideration for walking, transit and biking, while providing acceptable levels of service for all modes of travel. The policy does not mean that every street in the City will have specific accommodations for all modes of travel. It does mean that modal priorities will inform the decision-making in the City's transportation planning. City of Minneapolis Transportation Planner Nathan Koster, who extensively researched national practices, describes the policy as "an exemplary model for establishing a consistent process for evaluating all travel modes as a part of public and private sector projects that influence the public right-of-way."

The Complete Streets Policy, combined with the Access Minneapolis Plan, represents one of the most extensive and forward-looking transit planning frameworks in the nation. The combination of these plans plus the additional resources for basic and advanced infrastructure that the Council recently enacted mean that Minneapolis is positioned to continue its nation-leading efforts for years to come. As a City we are poised to make significant upgrades to the ways in which our public infrastructure supports our residential stakeholders as well as increasing accessibility and increasing our commercial vitality.

City Launches Co-op Assistance Program

In April the City of Minneapolis launched the expansion of its Business Technical Assistance Program (B-TAP) to include services aimed at supporting the development of new Minneapolis co-operatives through the new Co-operative Technical Assistance Program (C-TAP). The new program was announced at a "State of Co-ops in Minneapolis" event hosted by City staff at Open Book.

Minneapolis has historically been a co-op friendly city, creating more cooperative legal and accounting infrastructure, and a higher level of overall public familiarity, than is found in any other city. Over the past two years, the City's department of Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) has undertaken an internal review of programmatic support for cooperative development. The result is C-TAP, which will offer assistance to groups interested in forming new co-ops in Minneapolis including feasibility classes, technical assistance to redefine feasibility, board member and organizational design, and technical assistance for co-op retention and expansion.
The program will fully roll out over the next three years. 

To learn more, visit: http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups/public/@cped/documents/webcontent/wcmsp-176405.pdf.

City of Minneapolis Passes Safe and Sick Time Ordinance

On May 27, 2016, the City Council passed the “Safe and Sick Time” ordinance which ensures paid safe and sick leave for most employees within the City of Minneapolis boundaries. The new ordinance will not take effect until July 1, 2017. This is the first ordinance of its kind in the State of Minnesota. Click HERE for more details and to read the ordinance itself.

Water Sustainability at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden’s reconstruction was kicked off with a ground-breaking ceremony that highlighted the sustainability features the new park will contain. The Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) is collaborating with the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board (MPRB) and the Walker Art Center to install new landscaping on this site of a former wetland. A new ‘fresh meadow” will absorb stormwater runoff, while an 80,000-gallon underground cistern will hold captured runoff and excess water from the Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture. As a result, nearly 5 million gallons of water will be used to irrigate the sculpture garden and adjacent baseball field instead of going into storm sewers. This project is modeled after much of the sustainability infrastructure that’s been installed on the Edison High School campus.

Help Keep Our Waterways Clean

With our lakes, creeks, waterfalls and the Mississippi River, we pride ourselves on Minneapolis’ natural waters.

A big part of protecting our waterways is right on our streets. Leaves, dirt, garbage and anything that gets left on the street can wash down storm drains and go untreated into our lakes and the river.

When it rains, stormwater carries grass clippings, leaves, cigarette butts, pesticides, fertilizers, antifreeze, paint, gasoline, motor oil and animal waste directly into Minneapolis lakes, creeks and the Mississippi River.

Sign up for the Minneapolis Adopt a Drain program, and commit to clearing leaves and trash from it regularly.
Never put anything down a storm drain. It’s for rain and melting snow only.Be a champion and spread the word with your neighbors.

Learn more or sign up by calling 311 or going to www.minneapolismn.gov/AdoptaDrain.

Eastside Bike to Work Day

Numerous community members joined CMs Frey and Reich to bike through NE and SE neighborhoods to downtown Minneapolis.

Help Minneapolis Prevent Recycling Theft

Recycling theft, also known as "scrapping" or "scavenging" is the unauthorized collection of recyclable materials set out by residents for authorized collection programs with the City. City of Minneapolis Ordinance 244.355(c) states that it is against the law. Although you may feel this is a harmless crime, scavenging gives individuals an opportunity to survey what items you have in your alley, garage and home and takes revenue from the City that could have helped keep your solid waste fees lower.

You can discourage scrappers and scavengers by not putting your recyclables out until the day of pickup and encouraging your neighbors to do the same. Call 911 if you see scrappers and scavengers taking items.

Monitor Your Appliances & Save Energy

You can check out a Power Check meter from your local library and connect it to an appliance in your home to learn the appliance's energy use – its current, minimum and maximum energy use.

Knowing which appliances are major energy drains can help you make smarter decisions about the energy you use in your home, and that can help you save on your bills.

Power Check is an energy efficiency and education initiative provided in partnership between Xcel Energy and your public library.

Save the Date

87th Celebrate Northeast Parade

Tuesday, June 21, 6:30 – 9 p.m.

Water Wednesday: Raingardens for Clean Water

Wednesday, July 13, 6 – 7:30 p.m., Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, 2522 Marshall Street NE. This class is the second of a three part series MWMO is offering on summer yard care. In this class Metro Blooms will provide an overview of a do it yourself approach to raingardens and native plantings. RSVP to contacts@mwmo.org or 612-465-8780.

National Night Out

Tuesday, August 2.

Open Streets Northeast

Sunday, August 7, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Visit http://www.openstreetsmpls.org/northeast for more information.

---

For reasonable accommodations or alternative formats please contact Lisa Brock at lisa.brock@minneapolismn.gov or 612-673-2201. People who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay service to call 311 agents at 612-673-3000. TTY users can call 612-673-2157 or 612-673-2626.

Para asistencia 612-673-2700 • Rau kev pab 612-673-2800 • Hadii aad Caawimaad u baahantahay
612-673-3500.