City Briefs - Feb 2024

The City of Minneapolis is accepting proposals until Feb 2, 2024, to hire consultants to help plan the development at the former Kmart site. Consultant teams that submit proposals must have expertise in real estate development and public engagement.

 

City Council offices and the City Council Chamber have moved out of City Hall this year for renovations. Until construction is completed, council offices and regular council meetings will be in the Minneapolis Public Service Center, 250 Fourth St. S. 

 

On Jan. 8, the council elected new leadership, and approved new committee’s and committee membership for the upcoming term.  Eliot Payne was elected on a vote of 10 to 3 to be the new president and Aisha Chughtai was elected vice president on a vote of 8 to 5. 

 

For this term the City Council has approved 7 committees.  They are Administration & Enterprise Oversight, chaired by Robin Wonsley; Budget, chaired by Aisah Chughtai; Business, Housing & Zoning, chaired by Jamal Osman; Climate & Infrastructure, chaired by Katie Cashman; Committee of the Whole and Public Health & Safety, both chaired by Jason Chavez; and, Intergovernmental Relations, chaired by Aurin Chowdhury. There will also be a new Settlement Agreement and Consent Decree subcommittee that will be chaired by Eliot Payne. Ward 11 Council Member Emily Koski will vice chair the Budget and the Climate & Infrastructure committees. Ward 8 Council Member Andrea Jenkins will vice chair the Settlement Agreement and Consent Decree subcommittee.

 

At its first meeting of the year, on Jan. 2, the school board unanimously elected Collin Beachy to be board chair for the year. Kim Ellison was elected vice chair, by a 7-2 vote, Lori Norvell was reelected clerk and Abdul Abdi reelected to continue as treasurer for the year. 

 

The presidential nomination primary will be held on March 5. The election is partisan and only open to candidates seeking to run with one of the three participating major parties in Minnesota: the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, the Legalize Marijuana Now Party, and the Republican Party. Voters must choose only one party to vote in. Early voting started on Jan. 19 and those who are not already registered, can pre-register to vote until Feb. 13. People can also register to vote at their polling place on Election Day by showing proof of residence. For more information, visit www.hennepin.us/residents#elections. 

 

Hennepin County is offering grants for preschools, K-12 schools, and colleges in Hennepin County to start or improve programs to reduce waste and keep recycling and organic materials out of the trash.  The money can be spent on staff time, equipment, or supplies. The first round of funding will be available to qualifying applicants whose applications are due by 4 p.m. Feb. 29. Applications of up to $15,000 from any and all K-12 schools, preschools, colleges, or universities in the county will be accepted beginning March 20 through Nov. 15.  Contact kira.berglund@hennepin.us.  

 

The city is inviting people to take in air quality monitoring projects where three different kinds of air sensors will be placed around the city. This includes PurpleAir sensors that measure particulate matter; AQMesh sensors that measures different gases including ozone, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide; and, SENSIT SPODs that measure volatile organic compounds. 

 

Employers can hire Minneapolis youth between 14-21 years old to be summer interns at their organization through the Step Up summer youth internship program. More at www.StepUpMpls.org.