City briefs - Oct 2024

Policing settlement evaluation plan
The city has released an “implementation progress evaluation plan" as part of its settlement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights to address its discriminatory and racist police practices. The 88-page plan, developed by Effective Law Enforcement for All, lays out goals and steps intended to measure compliance with the court-enforceable agreement.

County approve 5.5% levy increase
On Sept.17, the Hennepin County board adopted a $1.046 billion maximum property tax levy for their 2025 budget, an increase of 5.5 % from last year. This follows Hennepin County Administrator David Hough’s proposal for a $2.95 billion budget next year. The operating part of the proposal is $2.49 billion, an increase of $86.6 million dollars from 2024. Property taxes cover approximately 36% of the budget. Budget hearings will take place before a final budget and levy is adopted in December. People can find the schedule of hearings at hennepin.us/budgets and more information about property taxes at hennepin.us/propertytaxes.
Early voting
Early voting in the 2024 Nov. 5 general election started on Friday, Sept. 20 and continues through Monday, Nov. 4. The ballot this year includes federal, state, local school board and judge races ,as well as a constitutional amendment to renew the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund and a Minneapolis Public Schools referendum to reauthorize and raise its Technology Capital Project Levy by $20 million a year to provide more funding for technology systems, equipment and support staff for the next 10 years.

Encampment ordinance
The city council is considering a new ordinance that would require detailed quarterly reports that include costs of encampment removals, as well as the number of individuals affected, the services offered, and any related 311 or 911 calls. The “Encampment Removal Reporting Ordinance” had a public hearing on Sept. 11 and the city council members who are authoring the ordinance (Ward 9’s Jason Chavez, Ward 10’s Aisha Chughtai and Ward 12’s Aurin Chowdhury) held a community meeting about it on the 25th at East Phillips Park Cultural & Community Center. The council is expected to vote on passage of the ordinance later this month.

Eviction notification ordinance
The city council has approved an ordinance amendment authored by Ward 6 Council Member Jason Chavez, Ward 12 Council Member Aurin Chowdhury and Council President Eliot Payne that increases the amount of time that a landlord must give a tenant before filing an eviction from 14 to 30 days. The ordinance only applies to residential tenants who are facing eviction from nonpayment of rent and not to commercial tenants.

Minnehaha 3000
The city will hold a meeting on Oct. 2 focused on the feedback they have received about redeveloping the former 3rd precinct police station building at Minnehaha and Lake St into a “democracy center.” Under the proposal, the building would house elections staff, supplies and services as well as offer ground-floor space for community use. The meeting was held at the American Indian Center, at 1530 E. Franklin Ave.

Carbon emissions fees
Ward 2 Council Member Robin Wonsley is proposing to add carbon dioxide to the city’s Pollution Control Annual Registration list and fee schedule as recommended in the 2022 People’s Climate and Equity Plan. It would apply to carbon dioxide (CO2) and equivalent greenhouse gases, and charge large facilities $452/ton for the emission. The city would do inspections of the facilities and recommend ways to reduce emissions. The implementation of this fee is estimated to cover the city’s cost of reducing emissions 6% at each of the large facilities in 2025, a total reduction of 605.81 tons of carbon dioxide and equivalent greenhouse gases.

Police off-duty fees
In October, the city council is expected to consider adding a fee to cover expenses related to police officers using city equipment while working off-duty and being paid by private entities. This follows a presentation to this summer to the council that outlined that an off-duty fee of $19/hour for use of a Ford Explorer squad car would align with the city’s vehicle operations expense rates. According to Ward 2 Council Member Robin Wonsley, who is proposing the fee, “It would also necessarily require MPD to adhere to more specific tracking of off-duty work in order to recoup these fees from officers.”