| Council Members Cashman and Ellison standing with Michael Welch in front of the City seal In this issue - New utility franchise agreements
- U.S. Department of Justice Consent Decree
- Honorary resolutions and upcoming policy items
- Ward 7 community survey question
- Nicollet Mall transit changes
- MPD Cadet and CSO welcoming ceremony
- Loring Greenway playground meeting
- Uptown area public safety meeting
- Details on the next “Coffee with Katie” event
- Anwatin Woods news
- Good news around Ward 7
- Ward 7 Team in the community
A photo of community activists in front of CenterPoint Energy's headquarters with a list of goals to negotiate for Utility Franchise Agreements This week, my colleagues and I celebrated an important milestone reached. The City of Minneapolis published the tentative agreements with Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy, its electric and gas utilities. The agreements are accompanied by memorandums-of-understanding (MOUs) that re-establish the Minneapolis Clean Energy Partnership, a 10-year collaboration between the City and the utilities to help Minneapolis reach its Climate Equity Plan goals. Together, the documents contain standard-setting commitments, such as, Minneapolis-specific greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals, equity expectations in service quality and program delivery, and improvements to information sharing for work done on public streets. These provisions were not included in the last 10-year agreements, which highlighted the importance of negotiating with a proactive and future-forward lens for the next decade ahead. The agreements present us with major opportunities for local climate leadership now and going forward. Minneapolis stands to continue leading the nation in decarbonization and climate resiliency, which is even more important now given the new incoming federal administration. I’m proud of all the work done by the City Attorney’s Office, the Public Works Department, the Sustainability Division of the Health Department, and Council offices during a year-long negotiation process. As one of the Council representatives on the Clean Energy Partnership and Chair of the Council's Climate & Infrastructure Committee, I have fought to serve public interests as best as possible. The proposed documents are published ahead of the public hearing at the Climate & Infrastructure committee tentatively set for February 6, 2025. We encourage members of the public to attend and share their thoughts on the agreements reached and why taking this bold action on climate is important to them. U.S. Dept. of Justice Consent Decree Last week, the City Council voted to enter into a federal consent decree with the United States Department of Justice. The court enforceable agreement outlines policy, resource, and training requirements that will continue to help guide the City’s and Minneapolis Police Department’s reform efforts moving forward. The MPD will work with the court-appointed independent monitor, Effective Law Enforcement for All (ELEFA), to evaluate these changes and work toward full compliance. Some highlights from the consent decree: - Community engagement: MPD operational strategies to address crime will be developed to further emphasize collaboration between police and the community.
- Use of force review: MPD will institute both a robust Force Investigation Team to review certain uses of reportable force and a Force Review Board to provide executive review of certain use of force incidents.
- First Amendment: The MPD will adopt, train on, and sustain policies that facilitate the exercise of First Amendment rights of community members and journalists while enabling MPD to maintain public safety and order.
- Behavioral health response: The City will continue to advance and build on its behavioral crisis response with additional training, policies, protocols, review, and coordination.
- Supervision: Changes to supervision requirements will facilitate more officer accountability and evaluation opportunities.
The federal consent decree will be in effect at the same time as a similar settlement agreement with the State of Minnesota Department of Human Rights. The reforms outlined in both agreements are expected to take several years to fully implement. Learn more about the federal consent decree on the City’s website. Honorary Resolutions: Council Members passed 3 honorary resolutions this cycle, recognizing Michael Welch for his nearly 25 years of service on the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission, Human Trafficking and Exploitation Awareness Month, and Stalking Awareness Month. I’d also like to thank Jodi Polzin for stepping in as the new Bassett Creek Watershed Management commissioner; a recruitment period will open in the spring to fill the newly open alternate commissioner role that Jodi previously filled. Upcoming Public Hearings: Public hearings are officially confirmed when meeting agendas are published in the roughly 48 business hours prior to a scheduled meeting, so I recommend checking back on the respective links to verify the timeline. Find out more about participating in scheduled hearings and submitting a public comment or watch meetings on the City’s YouTube channel. Ward 7 Community Survey Series In each Ward 7 Newsletter, we include a question for constituents to weigh in on. Questions may be related to upcoming policy decisions, future planning, issue prioritization, community project ideas, and more. Today's question: The City of Minneapolis has been engaged in a years-long process to expand and improve the ways we approach safety in our communities. Council often receives presentations and updates from City departments and partners involved various public safety activities. These are great opportunities to ask questions my constituents are interested in learning about. What kinds of metrics would you want to know about to evaluate the effectiveness of our comprehensive safety system? Examples could be: - The percentage of emergency calls that get diverted to non-police services like 311, traffic control, or the Behavioral Crisis Response units (currently 9% are diverted; the Office of Community Safety's goal is to reach 20% in next 10 years)
- The number of sworn officers serving on MPD’s force (currently 570, which is up from 562 at end of 2023)
- The average response time for MPD or BCR to arrive following a 911 call
- The number of individuals positively impacted by violence prevention services
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A blue and green illustrated graphic with a bus, bus shelter, people, and tree in front of the Downtown skyline Nicollet Mall Transit Changes City staff have been working in partnership with Metro Transit over the past year to explore changes to the bus routes currently moving through Nicollet Mall in Downtown. Nicollet Mall is the busiest transit corridor in the region. Though the transit times on the mall are often slower, we know other important factors like accessibility, reliability, safety, and overall experience also need to be considered. I don’t take this decision lightly and are calling upon stakeholders who use transit in the Downtown corridor to help me understand what matters most to you. CSO and Cadet Welcoming Ceremony It was powerful hear Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison as the keynote speaker for the Minneapolis Police Department Cadet and Community Service Officer Welcoming Ceremony last night. 8 CSOs and 24 Cadets joined the ranks of the MPD, and hearing from each one of them about why they chose to take this step in their career path inspires optimism for a department that is working to rebuild trust with the community. I am encouraged by the City's recruitment efforts, and I wish these new recruits all the best as their formal training gets underway. Workers dismantling the Loring Greenway playground. Photo credit to Andrea Nieves and Downtown Voices. Community Meeting on Loring Greenway Playground Some folks in the Loring Park community may have heard about or noticed the recent removal of the public playground located on the Loring Greenway at 70 Willow Place. The playground was removed after an inspector identified serious structural deficiencies tied directly to the age of the playground. At 22 years old, the structure had long outlived its useful life. In partnership with the Loring Greenway Association and Citizens for a Loring Park Community, I am hosting a community meeting on Thursday, January 30th at 6:30pm to discuss the process that led to the decision to dismantle the playground and brainstorm with community members about how to re-establish a community asset in this space. Please note that the meeting location has changed. - Thursday, January 30, 2025 | 6:30-8pm
- NEW LOCATION! Lakeshore Ballroom* at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis (1300 Nicollet Mall)
- *When entering through the main entrance on Nicollet Mall, proceed to the first conference space on the left, just south of the lobby.
Uptown Area Public Safety Meeting A number of the neighborhoods on the west side of Hennepin Avenue South in the Uptown area are once again collaborating on a community meeting focused on public safety. All are invited and welcome to attend. Scheduled speakers include Police Chief Brian O'Hara who will discuss the Behavioral Crisis Response team and updates on the U.S. Department of Justice Consent Decree. Fifth Precinct Inspector Christie Nelson will report on crime trends in the 5th Precinct. A number of other public officials will also speak. I hope to see you there! - Date: Thursday, January 23, 2025
- Time: 7:00-8:30 pm
- Location: Lake of the Isles Lutheran Church (2020 W Lake of the Isles Pkwy)
A blue, green, and white graphic with event details and headshots of Council Members Cashman and Osman February “Coffee with Katie” Join us for our next “Coffee with Katie” event on Thursday, February 6th, 6-7:30 pm, at the Semple Mansion (100 W Franklin Ave) in the Loring Heights neighborhood! As you may know, Frattalone’s Hardware & Garden recently announced they would not be renewing their lease in their longtime location at Nicollet and 18th due to persistent public safety concerns. We are very concerned about the trajectory of this corridor and recognize the urgent need for more safety and economic development resources. I will be joined by Ward 6 Council Member Jamal Osman, who represents the Stevens Square neighborhood on the east side of Nicollet Avenue, and other community safety officials. We invite neighbors to join us for a solutions-oriented conversation on ways to lift up our small businesses, increase safety and perceptions of safety, and plan for the future. Anwatin Woods news Over the last few months, many residents in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood learned about the purchase of a number of parcels in what is commonly known as the Anwatin Woods. The parcels at the south end of Vincent Avenue South have a storied history. I will continue to support and advocate for maintaining public access between Vincent Avenue South and Bryn Mawr Elementary & Anwatin Middle School on the land currently owned by the City of Minneapolis. An image of Brito's Burrito with the facade illuminated at night. Photo credit to Em Cassel and Racket. Good News Round-up Sometimes the news can get us down, but there is a lot to be excited about in Minneapolis! This year we will be sure to call out some good news in each of our newsletters. Do you have some good news to share? Let us know by emailing ward7@minneapolismn.gov and including “Good News Round-up" in the subject line. - Trellis, a local affordable housing developer, has officially purchased the historic Flour Exchange Building in Downtown with plans to pursue a commercial-to-residential conversion project.
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A photo of Council Member Cashman, Ward 7 staff, and community members ice skating on Lake of the Isles at night Out and About in Ward 7 The Ward 7 team continues to get out in community to talk to neighbors and stakeholders where they are. To kick off 2025 with some fun, the Ward 7 team enjoyed dinner at Namaste Cafe and chatted with folks at the Lake of the Isles skating rink! We hope to see you out and about in the community this year. To find out about what’s going on in your part of town, check out the nine neighborhood organizations working to keep folks connected and engaged in Ward 7: |
