Council Member's Message

As the City Council approaches the final days of budget setting for 2017, I believe it’s useful to highlight some aspects of this complex process. While the overall City budget is large, those dollars get broken down into specific department budgets. Each department is overseen by a Council committee that actively manages that department’s spending priorities and goals. Here is a small sample of the budgetary matters that I have been working on in the course of my committee work:

Transportation & Public Works

Due to our groundbreaking Streets & Parks funding agreement, the Public Works department is poised to significantly accelerate our infrastructure maintenance program beginning in 2017. This infusion of dollars will support the values we as a City have expressed through our Access Minneapolis Plan and our robust new Complete Streets Policy. Beyond that, the Public Works department will continue to have a key impact on sustainability in our City through their work on maintaining our water quality, innovating through stormwater infrastructure, and greening our City fleet.

Community Development & Regulatory Services

We have included significant resources for affordable housing projects and housing stabilization and these resources, such as the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, allow us to leverage additional dollars from outside resources and jurisdictional partners. The budget will also continue to support two important business support programs: B-TAP, the City’s business technical assistance program, and the newly-launched C-TAP, our co-op technical assistance program.

Public Safety, Civil Rights & Emergency Management

In addition to ensuring that we have a solid baseline of funding that supports the operations of the Second Precinct, I am particularly supportive of our funding for a new Co-Responder Pilot. This innovative program will pair Crisis-Intervention-trained police officers with mental health experts while responding to 911/CIT-related calls. This program, which was recommended by some strong community advocates as well as by the Police Conduct Oversight Commission (PCOC), offers significant promise as a de-escalation tool and I welcome its implementation, even as I encourage the Police Department to continue to seek new ways to foster a healthy community relationship.

There are still opportunities to make your voice heard on the City’s 2017 budget. In addition to the Dec. 7 public budget hearing at 6:05 in Room 317, City Hall, you can submit comments on the proposed budget online. All comments submitted online by 3 p.m. Dec. 6 will be entered into the public record and shared with the mayor and council members.